Sacrifice (noun), according to English Oxford Living Dictionaries, has three main meanings, but I'll be focusing on two. Sacrifice according to the Christian church is "Christ's offering of himself in the crucifixion." It's also defined as "an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy."
Christ was and will always be the greatest sacrifice in the world's history. He died on a cross and bore the weight of the past, present and future consequences of our sin. He was bruised for our inequities, with a crown of thorns placed on his head - his clothes stripped off. They spat on him. The King of kings and Lord of lords was humiliated for us - he put himself in the position to be killed by the very people he created.
What does this teach us about the principle of sacrifice?
- It isn't about who you are. Sometimes, we can become 'puffed up' with pride in life, and forget about the sacrifices that other people in our lives had to make, in order for us to be where we are now. Sometimes, Christians can have the same attitude and forget about Christ's great sacrifice, and the fact that it should cause us to be humble. Pride prevents us having a sacrificial attitude, because you cannot be humble enough to serve others and proud at the same time.
- Sacrifice is all about love. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." We'll never be able to love like Christ loves us, because we can never reach that level of perfection, but I encourage you to think about these things.
Living a life of sacrifice rids you of the chains of selfish ambition. Ambition becomes selfish when you become ruthless and void of compassion. To be sacrificial does not mean you neglect yourself per say, but I do challenge you to ask yourself "how far would I be willing to go to help someone in need?". Sometimes we like to think we are sacrificial, but the truth is sacrifice is not just for people you know or love. How many of us would be willing to sacrifice something in order to help the people who have hurt us in the worst ways? Are you prepared to forget about yourself if Christ asks you to - to put your own plans aside to help others if he instructs you to? It's a difficult concept to consider, especially because we are humans.
Philippians 2:3-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus."
If we all had a sacrificial attitude, everyone's interests would be met. Life is so much more rewarding when you live it by mirroring Christ's attitude and actions.
