Sacrifice part 4
One of the things I learned in high school--or at least one of the things I REMEMBER learning in high school--is that nothing is free. Everything has a cost. At the very least, there is an opportunity cost attached to every decision. And what that means is that if I choose one thing, I miss out on something else. I can't go to the movies AND go bowling at the same time. If I choose the movies I lose the opportunity to go bowling. And while this may seem like a small price to pay, since I like the movies way more than bowling, the fact remains that I had to sacrifice bowling. And to me this is the cost that we saw when I started this Rant. When King David insisted on paying for the things that were necessary for his sacrifice. It didn't HURT him to pay it, just like missing out on bowling wouldn't hurt me. But it was still a price that had to be paid. In the same way, when we present ourselves as a living sacrifice--when we lay OURSELVES down for our friends--we're paying that price. We're putting someone else's wants or needs ahead of our own. Philippians 2:2-5 says it like this, "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." This is where it gets awesome. Because even while I'M laying my life down for you... you're laying you're life down for me! When we start to lay ahold of this love of God--this love that IS God--we know what we have and we start sharing what we have. We stop worrying about ourselves. This opportunity cost where I can either help you or help myself... it stops even being a question. It becomes, "I'm going to help you because God has already helped me!" And while I'm helping you, it turns out that you're helping me anyway! Every man is looking on the things of others. I'm taking care of you--laying my life down for you--and you're taking care of me--laying your life down for me--and in that way neither one of us has to look out for ourselves! It's a Holy Ghost wildfire that lights up everything it touches and just feeds on itself until it grows and grows and burns out of control, completely consuming everything and everybody with love! I guess what I'm trying to say is: When you love somebody, sacrificing yourself for them isn't hard. It isn't even really a decision you have to make. It's nature. Human nature. TRUE human nature... which I believe is the love nature. And all we have to do is let the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. All we have to do is believe. LET God love us so that we have love to give to one another. To SHARE with one another. A living sacrifice doesn't kill himself trying to be someone he's not. A living sacrifice let's the living God live in (and through, and as) him! It's easy to lay your life down for someone else when you understand that Jesus laid His life down for you. It's easy to give what you've got when you KNOW what you've got, and when you know that it's too good to keep to yourself!