Make Great Sacrifices

 Consider this!
Eventually every relationship you have, every dream you pursue, every  possession you own will have to go to the altar from time to time. It won't be a superficial test; it will hurt. Because sacrifices always do.
When we're truly devoted to something or to someone we're willing to make sacrifices. The measure of that sacrifice determines what matters most to us. Sometimes God responds to our  prayers rather bluntly. Like in Luke 14:33


"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."



Broseph



Now, some things in Scripture can be hard to understand, but this isn't one of those. It's tough to do, sure, but it isn't complicated. Jesus made it clear that following Him, even if it contradicts everything that's important to us, is the top priority. Following Jesus means letting go of YOUR agenda, and picking up HIS.



Like a king that has to calculate the strength of his army before going to war, discipleship is no different.  In other words, what will this cost us? the COST is absolute sacrifice.

Here's my modern day example:

Imagine a little girl playing with plastic beads. She loves them. What if someone asked her for the plastic beads in exchange for a real (and expensive) pearl necklace? And moreover, she REFUSED THE GIFT?! Logically, her attachment to the plastic beads doesn't make sense. She would lose very little and gain so much more if she accepted the offer. One day she'd look back at the exchange, and wonder why it was ever a hard decision in the first place. But she can't see that in her childlike ways. 

Sadly, this is how many of us live today. Pain helps a person discern between plastic and pearls. Suffering leads to discernment.Sacrifice. But we who live comfortably as Christians have trouble telling the difference between plastic and pearls. We hang onto our friends, families, and income as though they were the ultimate reward. If God were to ask if we loved Him, we'd have no true answer. We're afraid to relinquish the beads for valuable pearls. And why? Because we value our beads? Or because we're suspicious that the pearls aren't real?  

So tonight, I ask, what sacrifices have you made to show your true devotion? What sacrifices still need to be made? It's time to lay it on the altar.

"So when the whole world turns against me, and I'm all by myself. And I can't hear you answer my cries for help, I'll remember the suffering Your love put me through and walk through the valley. It may not be the way I would've chosen, but you never said it would be easy. You only said I'd never go alone...."

Redeemed, JAS. :)