Doves On Distant Oaks

The Sacrificial Life

As followers of Christ, we are called to forfeit our self-centered desires in favor of serving others. This is called the sacrificial life, but what does that really mean? How much, and when, are we supposed to sacrifice? Are we to be like the rich young ruler that told Jesus he had led an exemplary life, and asked what more he needed to do.

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:21-22)

Leading a sacrificial life is not about concrete acts of self-denial, but about willingness. It's not about the sacrifice itself, it's about our willingness to do whatever is asked of us. We may be asked to do something extraordinary, like go on a mission trip or even put ourselves in harms way to spread the Gospel. Or we may only be asked to do something very ordinary, like be the best spouse, parent, friend, and so on. It's all about our willingness to do so.

I have a friend named Bob. He was helping me one day do some work in my front yard. Bob was glad to pitch in. He gave of his time and effort, but he didn't give all of his time or all of his effort. That's not the kind of partial willingness that leads to a sacrificial life.

As we were working, a gentleman drove by. Seeing us working in the yard, he stopped. He got out and approached us, saying he was running on fumes and needed some gas. He pointed to my two, full, 5-gallon gas cans sitting nearby and asked me if he could have some for his car. He had obviously seen them sitting there as he was driving past. Did he really need gas? I didn't know, but I immediately agreed and proceeded to carry both gas cans toward his car.

Bob interrupted me and proceeded to protest. "Don't give him all of it. Just give him enough to get to a gas station." My response was immediate. "He may not take all I have, but I'm willing to give it." Even though it was a simple thing like gas, that's what living the sacrificial life means, a willingness to give all in every circumstance.

The same thing applies to our relationships. I have often heard that marriage is about compromise. I disagree. Marriage is about sacrifice and the best marriages are the ones that spouses are continually sacrificing for each other. I'm willing to go shoe shopping with my wife, even though I don't enjoy it. Conversely, she is willing to visit an old fort in the hot sun with me—even though she would rather sit in an air-conditioned car. We sacrifice for each other because we'd much rather be together than apart.

The man who asked for some gas only took a small amount, probably enough to get to a gas station. So, my friend Bob's fears were unfounded. But it wasn't about how much he took or how much I gave. I was about a willingness to share all and about doing so ungrudgingly.

Not all of us are able to do extraordinary things, but the key is to be willing to do whatever God asks us to do. Between a rich person who gives a $100-dollar bill to a homeless person (a tenth of what he has in his pocket) and the person who gives all they have by giving $3, which one is leading the sacrificial life? When we hold back, we are depending on ourselves. When we give all, we are depending on Christ.

One of my favorite sayings is: Christ can do more with two pennies in your pocket than you can do with $2,000 in your hand. So, why not be willing to give all? The willingness is what it takes to lead the sacrificial life. And it's something that we have to have settled in our mind. Because when the call comes, it may be quick and unannounced. We must always be ready, and wouldn't you much rather be with Christ than apart from Him?

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

– Luke 9:23-25

Keywords: Giving, Self-sacrifice, Willingness

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