SACRIFICE
Not Just Another Word
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25 (NASB)
When I went to college, I was a little later in life than most. I was 24 years old when I started. I was not too old, but my situation was compounded by the fact that I had a family to support. I had a six year old marriage with two children. We had our struggles getting through college and seminary. I have often said that I was so smart that I crammed seven years of school into eight! There were times when I wanted to quit and get on with living life, but there was an expression I heard during orientation that I would remember during the rough days that helped me keep going. It was “deferred gratification” and I have never forgotten it.
There have been times when “deferred gratification” has been likened to sacrifice. Deferred gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. It is the same process we use when we save our money to buy something that we really want. We put off the simpler things like eating out so we can save money to buy the more expensive items later. Dave Ramsey says, “Live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later.” It is a great concept, but it does not compare to sacrifice that our Lord taught.
Deferred gratification is generally focused on getting want you want by devising a plan to obtain it. It generally speaks of this world and a temporary delay in order to achieve your goal. A good example would be saving to get the house you have always wanted.
Sacrifice is different! Sacrifice is defined as the “surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil” by Dictionary.com. Hey, wait a minute that sound like deferred gratification. I believe that there is a major difference between the two that is incredibly important. The former is generally focused on the things that we think will make life better and the latter is focused on the essence of life itself.
In Luke 9:23-25, Jesus is teaching His disciples about sacrifice. The imagery is very clear as He talks about their own instrument of death, their cross. He continues by saying “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?” (Luke 9:25 MSG) We diminish the meaning of sacrifice when we relegate it to getting more things!
Kyle Idleman is the Teaching Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. In his book “Not a Fan”, he writes “Jesus was never interested in having fans. When he defines what kind of relationship he wants, “Enthusiastic Admirer” isn’t an option. My concern is that many of our churches in America have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums. And every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him. The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.”
Are you willing to sacrifice the things you want, your plans and your dreams to experience Life? Follow Him!
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord,
It is so hard to look past the things of this world that seem to shine so brightly. Help me to learn what true value really is and to give all that I have to receive it. In Jesus Name, Amen.
