Romans 12:1-2
As a parent, you can think of countless sacrifices that you have made for your kids, I’m sure. Why did you do it? It’s because you loved them. Growing up, my mom and dad sacrificed a lot to put my siblings and I through Christian school and then Bible college. My dad often wore the same old clothes, and my mom didn’t experience the trips and treasures that she could have experienced. Why? Out of love. There is really no other way to put it. They loved us; therefore, they sacrificed for us.
I have always tried to model that same love with my kids. From travel soccer to vacations to parties and beyond, Tami and I wanted to give our kids even more than we ever received. For many parents, this is where it ends – materialistic experiences. Tami and I endeavored to go above and beyond what was temporal to what was eternal. As many people around us were experiencing what they might claim they “deserved” at their stage of life, we were experiencing far less to make sure that our kids got off to a good financial start in life. It wasn’t easy. It’s still not easy, but it was and is totally worth it! Why? One word...love! When you love someone, I mean truly love someone, you are willing to sacrifice your own comforts for their needs.
The motivating factor for Tami and I were our parents! They demonstrated to us what sacrifice looked like, and in view of their sacrifice, how could we give anything less to our kids? Why have we done it? Why will we continue to do it? One word...love! This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was talking about when it challenged the Roman Christians to sacrifice for Jesus. In fact, he stated that the motivation for such sacrifice was “in view of God’s mercy” shown to them on The Cross! Our parents’ sacrifices for us have motivated us to sacrifice for our children, and I hope one day that our sacrifices for them will motivate them to reciprocate the same love for their children.
Paul took it shockingly further than what any Jew could have imagined. For the average Jew, animal sacrifices were constantly offered as a “replacement” for his or her own sin. In other words, the animal took his or her place. We call this substitutionary atonement. When Jesus died on The Cross, there was no reason any longer to offer an animal sacrifice because Jesus is the “once and for all” sacrifice for our sins. Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe! So, when Paul told the Roman believers to be “living sacrifices,” it must have shaken their worlds. What he meant is that God wants us to constantly offer ourselves, daily offer ourselves, and passionately offer ourselves for his service. We are to constantly lay aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal as we trust him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude, not guilt.
The result of his “high-level” sacrifice is that we will not be “shaped” by a godless culture that lives all around us. Instead, we will be transformed to look, act, and be more like Jesus Christ in our love for others and our rejection of sinful indulgences. The Christian life is about sacrifices that lead to spiritual growth and influence.
I have often thought about the lives that God has allowed me to touch for him in almost 30 years of vocational ministry as both a youth pastor and now a lead pastor. That would not have been possible without his sacrifice on The Cross and my parents' sacrifice to make sure that I received the spiritual education that I needed. In a way, they are now reaping the benefits of their sacrifices for me. I hope the same thing will happen some day with my kids and then their kids. In the meantime, all I want to do is be faithful to God...one day at a time! That demands sacrifice! I hope I am truly willing to do that for him. I hope you are too. As the old King James Version says... “it’s your reasonable service!”
I have always tried to model that same love with my kids. From travel soccer to vacations to parties and beyond, Tami and I wanted to give our kids even more than we ever received. For many parents, this is where it ends – materialistic experiences. Tami and I endeavored to go above and beyond what was temporal to what was eternal. As many people around us were experiencing what they might claim they “deserved” at their stage of life, we were experiencing far less to make sure that our kids got off to a good financial start in life. It wasn’t easy. It’s still not easy, but it was and is totally worth it! Why? One word...love! When you love someone, I mean truly love someone, you are willing to sacrifice your own comforts for their needs.
The motivating factor for Tami and I were our parents! They demonstrated to us what sacrifice looked like, and in view of their sacrifice, how could we give anything less to our kids? Why have we done it? Why will we continue to do it? One word...love! This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was talking about when it challenged the Roman Christians to sacrifice for Jesus. In fact, he stated that the motivation for such sacrifice was “in view of God’s mercy” shown to them on The Cross! Our parents’ sacrifices for us have motivated us to sacrifice for our children, and I hope one day that our sacrifices for them will motivate them to reciprocate the same love for their children.
Paul took it shockingly further than what any Jew could have imagined. For the average Jew, animal sacrifices were constantly offered as a “replacement” for his or her own sin. In other words, the animal took his or her place. We call this substitutionary atonement. When Jesus died on The Cross, there was no reason any longer to offer an animal sacrifice because Jesus is the “once and for all” sacrifice for our sins. Jesus paid it all; all to him I owe! So, when Paul told the Roman believers to be “living sacrifices,” it must have shaken their worlds. What he meant is that God wants us to constantly offer ourselves, daily offer ourselves, and passionately offer ourselves for his service. We are to constantly lay aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal as we trust him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude, not guilt.
The result of his “high-level” sacrifice is that we will not be “shaped” by a godless culture that lives all around us. Instead, we will be transformed to look, act, and be more like Jesus Christ in our love for others and our rejection of sinful indulgences. The Christian life is about sacrifices that lead to spiritual growth and influence.
I have often thought about the lives that God has allowed me to touch for him in almost 30 years of vocational ministry as both a youth pastor and now a lead pastor. That would not have been possible without his sacrifice on The Cross and my parents' sacrifice to make sure that I received the spiritual education that I needed. In a way, they are now reaping the benefits of their sacrifices for me. I hope the same thing will happen some day with my kids and then their kids. In the meantime, all I want to do is be faithful to God...one day at a time! That demands sacrifice! I hope I am truly willing to do that for him. I hope you are too. As the old King James Version says... “it’s your reasonable service!”
Posted in Devotional