SACRIFICE

Cost and Sacrifice

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23 (HCSB)

When I read Luke 9:23, it seems at first to be extremely hard to do. And I must confess it is at times. I mean, think about it. Jesus is saying, that whoever follows Him must live a life of self-denial and carry around your own instrument of death in the process. This is not the way to win friends and influence enemies. However, it is the way to have fully devoted followers committed even unto death.

Have you ever want to do something so much that you that you radically change your life to accomplish the task. This is what Christians are called to do when Christ says “Follow Me”. For the sake of illustration, looking at athletes might help. Paul J. Meyer wrote in Unlocking Your Legacy:

“Cost and self-sacrifice do not make something hard. Nobody feels sorry for the athlete who wins an Olympic medal, even though the person paid an incredible price through grueling effort behind the scenes, denying himself or herself certain things, probably for several years, all for one hopeful brief moment of glory. The medal, once attained, minimizes every cost and self-sacrifice.”

Meyer continues, “Following God is similar in many respects. There are costs and self-sacrifice to be made, but that does not mean it is hard to follow God. Hard is when you compete but never win, invest but lose everything, work but receive nothing for your efforts, and show love but receive hate in return…. When I compare my costs and self-sacrifices with what I have already received and will receive in return, my costs and self-sacrifices are insignificant!”

The Apostle Paul wrote confidently in 2 Timothy 4:7 saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He was faithful in following Jesus. He further states “There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8 (HCSB) Paul did not focus on the hardships, but the cross. In the end, he will not wear the struggles, but the crown.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to focus only on the very next step I need to take in following you. Help me not to dwell on the past nor look to far ahead. Please help me to be sensitive to Your leading. In Jesus Name, Amen.

SACRIFICE

The Influence of a Sacrifice

What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:25 (HCSB)

Sacrificial living always impacts those around you. We rarely understand how the stand we take in Christ influences others. Read the story of Polycarp as told by Ken Pell and pay particular attention to the reaction of those who interact with him.

“Can you imagine what it was like for the church in Smyrna as they watched their beloved and aged pastor burn at the stake? Polycarp was his name. He was a disciple of Jesus’ disciple, the Apostle John. One could tell it immediately because he possessed the same tenderness and compassion as his mentor.

Polycarp was Bishop of the church at Smyrna (present day Turkey). Persecution broke out in Smyrna and many Christians were fed to the wild beasts in the arena. The godless and bloodthirsty crowd called for the carcass of the leader – Polycarp.

The authorities sent a search party to find him. He had been taken into hiding for some Christians but the Romans tortured two young believers until they finally disclosed his location. When the authorities’ arrival was announced there was still time to whisk Polycarp away but he refused to go saying, “God’s will be done.”

In one of the most touching instances of Christian grace imaginable, Polycarp welcome his captors as if they were friends. He talked with them and insisted they eat a meal. He made only one request before being taken away – he asked for one hour to pray. The Roman soldiers listened to his prayer. Their hearts melted and they gave him 2 hours to pray. They had second thoughts as well and were overheard asking each other why they were sent to arrest him?

Other authorities also experienced a warmed heart when Polycarp arrived. The Proconsul tried to find a way to release him too. “Curse God and I will let you go!” he pleaded.

Polycarp’s reply was: “For eighty-six years I have served him. He has never done me wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King was has saved me?”

The Proconsul again looked for a way out. “Then do this old man, just swear by the spirit of the emperor and that will be sufficient.’

Polycarp’s reply was: “If you imagine for a moment that I would do that, then I think you pretend that you don’t know who I am. Hear it plainly. I am a Christian.”

More entreaties by the Proconsul

Polycarp stood firm.

The proconsul threatened with the wild beasts.

Polycarp’s reply was: “Bring them forth. I would change my mind if it meant going from worst to best, but not to change from right to wrong.”

The Proconsul threatened, “I will burn you alive!”

Polycarp’s reply was: “You threaten with fire that burns for an hour and is over but the judgment on the ungodly is forever.”

The fires engulfed him. The witnesses noticed his faith and joy. He was finished off with a dagger. He was buried for the cause of Christ on February 22, 155 A.D.

It was as much a day of victory as it was a day of tragedy.

Polycarp illustrated the power of knowing Jesus intimately. Intimately enough to follow Him into the flames. As Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to live out my faith with conviction and may others see the consistency of my faith no matter what the circumstances. In Jesus Name, Amen.

SACRIFICE

A Renewed Hope

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself? Luke 9:23-25 (HCSB)

Sacrifice is the only act I can think of that evokes so many positive responses. I believe the reason to be that it is born of out selflessness. Selflessness always seems to inspire people to heights of greatness. It renews hope when it seems all is lost. It can help someone who would normally shrink back in a crisis to find courage they never dreamed possible. And the last I would mention today is gratitude. It always fills us with gratitude. Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story told about “The Old Man and the Gulls”. It is a moving story of sacrifice and gratitude.

“It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them from his bucket. Many years before, in October 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea. But there was an unexpected detour, which would hurl Captain Eddie into the most harrowing adventure of his life.

Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost beyond the reach of radio. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean… For nearly a month Captain Eddie and his companions would fight the water, and the weather, and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. The largest raft was nine by five. The biggest shark…ten feet long.

But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable: starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone or destroyed by the salt water. It would take a miracle to sustain them. And a miracle occurred. In Captain Eddie’s own words, “Cherry,” that was the B- 17 pilot, Captain William Cherry, “read the service that afternoon, and we finished with a prayer for deliverance and a hymn of praise. There was some talk, but it tapered off in the oppressive heat. With my hat pulled down over my eyes to keep out some of the glare, I dozed off.”

Now this is still Captain Rickenbacker talking…”Something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. I don’t know how I knew, I just knew. Everyone else knew too. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food…if I could catch it.” And the rest, as they say, is history. Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten. Its intestines were used for bait to catch fish. The survivors were sustained and their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, uncharacteristically hundreds of miles from land, offered itself as a sacrifice. You know that Captain Eddie made it. And now you also know…that he never forgot. Because every Friday evening, about sunset…on a lonely stretch along the eastern Florida seacoast…you could see an old man walking…white-haired, bushy-eye browed, slightly bent. His bucket filled with shrimp was to feed the gulls…to remember that one that, on a day long past, gave itself without a struggle…like manna in the wilderness.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to be ever mindful of the sacrifice you made just for me! With a heart filled with gratitude, let me live to share the story of Your love with others. Thank You, In Jesus Name, Amen.

SACRIFICE

The Iron Cross

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)

Sacrifice is usually found in circumstances that call us to be better than we are. An example from history is found in the following story. “Early in the nineteenth century the king of Prussia, Frederick William III, found himself in great trouble. He was carrying on an expensive war; he was endeavoring to strengthen his country and make a great nation of the Prussian people. But he did not have enough money to accomplish his plans. He could not disappoint his people, and to capitulate to the enemy would be unthinkable.

After careful reflection he decided to approach the women of Prussia and ask them to bring their gold and silver jewelry to be melted down and made into money for their country. He resolved, moreover, that for each gold or silver ornament he would give in exchange a bronze or iron decoration as a token of his gratitude. Each decoration would bear the inscription, “I gave gold for iron, 1813.”

The response was overwhelming. And what was even more important was that these women prized their gifts from the king more highly than their former possessions. The reason, of course, is clear. The decorations were proof that they had sacrificed for their king. Indeed, it is a matter of history that it became unfashionable for women to wear jewelry. So the Order of the Iron Cross was established. Members of this order wore no ornaments, save a cross of iron for all to see.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for loving me even thou I am unloving. Please help me to never forget the precious sacrifice You gave for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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.