Sacrifice part 2
I really only have one thought for today: When we talk about sacrifice, we're not sacrificing ourselves to GOD. We're sacrificing ourselves to EACH OTHER. Which, in a way, is the same thing. Because we love God BY loving each other. But the distinction, the point, I'm trying to make is this: God doesn't require that we sacrifice to Him. That was the Old Covenant, and Jesus fulfilled that covenant on the cross as the final, ultimate, perfect sacrifice. Let me say it like this, "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is the Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't server his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need" (Acts 17:24-25 NLT). God doesn't NEED anything from you. Psalm 50:12 says it like this, "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." We spend so much time and energy trying to "take care of God," when all Daddy wants to do is take care of us! And He takes care of us by putting people in our lives to take care of us! I'm so sick and tired of this idea that we think asking for help is a sign of weakness. It's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of wisdom! We're all in this together. And there are some things I can do that you can't, and some things that you can do that I can't. So when we work together, that's when it can all get done. Which brings me back to my original point: The sacrifice we make is for EACH OTHER. Jesus didn't say the greatest expression of love a man can have is to lay down His life for His God. The sum of the Law and the Prophets--the Old Covenant--was to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind. But the NEW Covenant, the NEW commandment, is to love ONE ANOTHER as Jesus loves you. Jesus said the greatest expression of love a man can have is to lay down his life for HIS FRIENDS. And, again, that's how we love God; by loving each other. But it seems like sometimes we neglect each other so that we can "love God." When Jesus went away by Himself to pray, but then people came to Him with needs, He didn't order them to come back later. He dropped what He was doing and took care of PEOPLE. I truly believe there are only two important things in all of existence: God and people. And because those are the two important things, we ought to love them both. Love God, and love people. Love God BY loving people. God doesn't NEED our prayers. And He certainly doesn't need our religious jumping jacks and all the hoops we try to jump through (and worse yet, try to get others to jump through). He doesn't NEED anything from us. But, like any good Father, He WANTS the best for us. And the best... in a word... is love. That's why Jesus gave His life for us and gave His life to us. He filled us up with that love so that we could share it. Yesterday we looked a little bit at paying the price. No sacrifice without cost. But the glorious part of it is that He gave us the currency--the LOVE--that allows us to pay that price! He gave us what we need in order to sacrifice for each other. He gave us life (true, abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life) so that we COULD lay our lives down for our friends!