Luke 9:23-27 (NIV) 23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV) 1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Sacrifice usually refers to giving up something we want. In relationships it means giving up what we want so the other person can have what they need. Sacrificing what I want so you can have what you need speaks as purely and as eloquently of our love for another person as human beings are capable of speaking.
Sacrifice is giving up for the sake of another. It is to deny ourselves. But, sacrifice is never a losing deal. There is always something good gained for the one who makes the sacrifice. Now, we do not make sacrifices with the calculated eye for what we will gain. That is called manipulation, and it nullifies the meaning of sacrifice. But, the gain is always there and is simply part of the package. When we sacrifice for another, we gain love, we gain gratitude, or sometimes we simply gain the inner gladness of being a person who is willing to sacrifice for someone else. When we deny ourselves and sacrifice for another, we do not lose a blessed thing, for blessed is what we receive. We are blessed by the bond of love growing strong and deep.
Jesus invites us to know God through sacrifice. He is saying that what is true in our relationship to people is also true in our relationship to God. As we deny ourselves and make the sacrifices God requires, our relationship to God becomes more real, more alive, more strong, even more rewarding.
But what are the sacrifices God requires? Whatever is costing you your soul, Jesus says. The sacrifices God calls us to make are tailor made for each of us. If overeating or a problem with alcohol is costing us, that is where the sacrifice is to be made. If worry, ambition, or pride is dominating our life, that is where the sacrifice is to be made. Or, it may be an unhealthy relationship that is costing us. We may need to sacrifice the relationship all together, or the sacrifice may be in changing the relationship.
To take up our Cross means we accept the suffering that often comes with sacrifice. To take up our Cross also means accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I believe that it is people who have been sacrificed for who are most able to make sacrifices themselves. So if we are to make the sacrifices God requires of us, we must accept the sacrifice Christ made for us. And then, we begin to understand the barrier breaking, bond building power of the Cross of Christ.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope February 11, 1990
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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