Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Love is a Nine Letter Word Spelled Sacrifice

“and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:2


Sacrifice proves what I love.
That was part of the message from Sunday morning. I can talk about sacrificing until I am blue in the face. In other words I can talk and talk and talk and talk but, as they say, talk is cheap. There is another expression we are all familiar with that says:
“Put your money where your mouth is.”
That challenges us to live up to our words.
God lived up to His words. To that there is no doubt.
Romans 5:8 says that: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Not only did the Father and the Son prove their love through the ultimate sacrifice; they did it while we were yet sinners, while we did not honor, bless or esteem them. Just the opposite, they sacrificed while we were their ‘enemies’.  That is sacrificial love on a level we genuinely struggle with.
 “This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his
Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I john
You see; we do well to offer ourselves as living sacrifices just as we learned about yesterday but don’t ever think you can “outdo” God. He sacrificed His life for those who were not friends but enemies. That is true, sacrificial love.
Sacrifice proves what God loved.
Sacrifice proves what God loves.
Do your sacrifices reflect Him?

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