Are you willing to sacrifice? Will you sacrifice for the good of others? Will you sacrifice for your children? Will you sacrifice for your parents? Do you consider sacrificing as doing good? Do you believe it is pleasing? Have you thought of what you say as a sacrifice?
Our human nature is to take care of ourselves. We won’t naturally sacrifice. There must be a reason for us to give up something of ourselves for someone else. We often call that something: love. Loving our spouse and children will cause us to sacrifice for them.
It is also love that will cause us to sacrifice for God. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to praise God continually. He calls it our sacrifice to him. Why would praise be a sacrifice. Praising God puts him above us. It is lifting God up and humbling ourselves. It is a demonstration of our love for him.
In addition to praising God, we are to do good and share what we have. This is both a sacrifice and a blessing. As God has blessed us, we are to share those blessings with others. While sharing those blessings we are blessed again. All of this is done because of the love God has for us and our loving him in return.
Love and sacrifice go hand-in-hand. God loves us. We love God. We demonstrate our love through sacrifice. We praise God for his blessings. We share his blessings. We bless others. It is a loving cycle we all desire to be a part of. When we are, we are joyful.
I pray we all are willing to sacrifice. I pray we know God loves us and experience his blessings. I pray each one of us praise God for his blessings and share those blessings others, being doubly blessed. Sacrifice to God. Sacrifice for others. God loves you. Show your love for him. Praise God. Share with others.
Hebrews 13:15-16 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Marty Pressey 