Sacrifice: August 10, 2011

AUGUST 10 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 10, 2011.

SACRIFICE

DEFINITION:

An offering of something to God for worship or payment for sin; to offer a life; a voluntary loss, the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable.

SCRIPTURE:

It came to pass --- that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he responded, “Here am I.” Genesis 22:1

But do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16.

Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When God asked Abraham to give Isaac back to Him in an act of sacrifice for worship, Genesis 22:1 calls it a test to see if there was anything in Abraham’s life that he treasured more than God.

There are times when God requires something from us that requires a sacrifice of our time or money in order to get His work accomplished. He may ask us to give up our natural instinct to seek revenge in a situation so that we communicate God’s forgiving love by forgiving our enemy. He may ask us to sacrifice portions of what we may call valuable time to advance His cause. The way we respond to what He requires of us speaks volumes about how we really feel about God. When we do good and share with others God considers our acts of kindness as sacrifices of worship to Him and He is pleased. (Hebrews 13:16 above).

Years ago when I (Ken) was in Honduras I remember seeing a young boy with his mother, dying of cancer lying in a hospital bed. I knew that there was some medicine that our mission had sent to this hospital that would help this boy. Even though I delayed our scheduled appointment it was crucial that I found that medicine and spend a little time with the boy and his mother letting them know that God cared and so did we. Several hours later the medicine was found and the boy received it and we were told later that he soon was able to go home to be with his family.

Jesus spent His entire ministry among the suffering, healing them and bringing them the good news of God’s Love. Each thing we do to help someone, no matter how large or small, is our sacrifice in God’s sight. Is there something we can do to help relieve the suffering of just one person in our world where so many are hurting? The writer of Hebrews says we should “not forget to do good.”

The apostle Paul reminds us with his words in Philippians (above) that as believers we are to look beyond ourselves and our own interests and look to the interest of others. It may demand a sacrifice on our part but look what Jesus sacrificed for us. No sacrifice we make is too big for the One who sacrificed His all for us. A tender heart that looks to help others will be a happy heart and one that God will bless, and that blesses God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 6:20.

My son, keep your father’s command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.

PRAYER:

Help me realize that God uses me to show His love to people caught in life’s despair. Open my heart to be willing to give deeds of kindness to those who need help. I stand in awe when I think of what You did for me. Help me to teach my children to understand how great was Jesus’ sacrifice to save us from our sins.