Sacrificing is a difficult task. Living in a materialistic world, where one only worries about himself, can be a hard thing to overcome and actually sacrifice. I know I struggle with this concept everyday. God calls us to sacrifice. He also calls us to give. Although, he calls us to give sacrificially. When I first heard this concept, I heard it from my Youth Minister several years ago and it really didn't make any sense to me. God won't want my money unless it's actually sacrificing or it hurts me financially?? I was confused. Clearly I didn't comprehend the meaning. As I've gotten older though, I have interpreted it differently than I did as a kid. Of course, everyone may have their own interpretation, but I'm going to share mine.
First of all, I want to start with a verse:
"Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny" (Mark 12:41-42, NIV).
When you look at this verse, what comes to your mind? Do you think the people who threw in the large amounts are any better in God's eyes than the poor widow who only gave a few coins? Does the amount matter? To God, no. It really doesn't matter how much money you give. Quantity over Quality. No! It's Quality over Quantity. God saw that the poor widow gave everything she had, and therefore the amount she gave held greater value. Not value as in the $$ value, but value as in importance. It was all she had left. She didn't know how she would feed herself after giving to God the last of her money, but she had faith God would provide. She sacrificed. For that, God blessed her richly.
Now we turn to those who gave large amounts. It is my assumption that people who announce or show off that they are giving that much money, don't care about the purpose of the gift. They want recognition. God doesn't care about man wanting recognition. In fact, the Bible says not to announce your gifts, and keep it secret.
Matthew 6:2-4
2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Don't go around telling people what you did. Be discrete. The only person that really matters is God. God is just and fair. He will reward you when the time comes. Earthly praise is nothing compared to a heavenly one.
After reading about this today, I realized two things: I struggle with recognition and I also struggle with sacrifice.
If I do something great, I like to be rewarded. I like to hear that ego boosting phrase, "I'm proud of you." I want people to know what I've done and why I did it. The truth is, once I start doing that, it takes away from the real meaning behind the act. I want to be more Christ-like and love and serve others like Christ did. Christ is the only one who can give me a reward that won't fade with time or eventually be forgotten. But I focus on the world and the people in it. I focus on that fleeting feeling of making someone proud. I focus on myself and how it makes me feel. Then it starts to become less about doing charitable, or nice acts, and more about what I can get out of doing them for someone. How can it benefit me?
Then I'm reminded of:
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God- not by works so that no one can boast . For we are Gods workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which god prepared in advance for us to do
Then it moves into sacrificing. I struggle with finding the line. When do I start sacrificing? Do I literally give up everything I own? Do I only give up some? How will I know what to sacrifice?? and of course, there are many more questions that go into that topic. If it doesn't benefit me, it's hard for me to want to do it. If I don't like the person, I definitely don't want to do it. So how do I know when to sacrifice?
I think the main issue here is myself. I get in the way. The "I" needs to be taken out of the equation altogether. Whatever comments I receive from friends or peers, will always be forgotten soon after. If I ever got a tangible reward for something, it would break or become worthless after so long. Nothing really matters. Learning how to be more Christ-like will help resolve the issue. Focusing on those letters, that I learned about as a kid: WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? Many people make fun of the WWJD stuff nowadays, but I'm not sure why. Shouldn't that always be a concern or a thought as we go through each day? Isn't that the first thing that should come to our minds as we face difficult issues? Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it is. Jesus can help us in any walk of life. Remember: he's done this before.
So, my challenge for myself is to stop being so selfish. Stop worrying about the attention I'd get from other people, and learn how to sacrifice for Christ. Though it won't be easy, and I don't think there is a clear cut answer for how much to sacrifice (other than the fact that you need to give up your life for Christ--but I really am talking about how much time, money, etc etc). Everyone is different and God has a plan for everyone. It isn't always the same.
Through prayer, God will make known the sacrifices I need to make. I have faith in that.
So, I pray that you all will learn the sacrifices God wants you to make in your life. That you can give to those in need, and give back to God without the worldly attention we are so desperate for. Remember: God's rewards are the only ones that last. His are the only ones that truly matter.
Love you all =)
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