AN ACT OF SACRIFICE

                 AN ACT OF SACRIFICE

 

 *John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.*

*Genesis 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and unto his offering:* 

A life sold out genuinely to sacrifice is one that is acceptable as living before God. Living a life as unto God; a life given to sacrifice is a testimony of a life well-lived The things we do, not for ourselves but for others go a long way in confirming divine blessings upon our lives. As men, there should be certain times we do certain things not considering what we plan to reap from it (though there be benefits) but just because it is the right thing to do. The concept of Sacrifice is one that is vital in every man’s life and also humanity.  From the Bible, we see many men of God given to a life of sacrifice, both to God and humanity. This is because they understood the importance of sacrifice. But today we see; some even describe doing things for the benefits of others as foolishness; they term living sacrificially as stupidity. They deem people that live lives of sacrifice as not having any reason to live so they live for others. The bible already talked about these set of people in 1 Corinthians 2:14 paraphrased; it is foolishness to them because they are natural but we as spirit beings have the understanding of these things. I want us to understand that Living for others is one reason why we are existing on this earth. If not, Christ would not have said “Go ye into the word and preach the gospel…”; this is because every life matters. The same Bible also says Love your neighbour, that is to say there are certain times, you just have to do these things not for the love of yourself but for that man or that next person to you. These are some Biblical examples: Abraham (Genesis 12, 22), Noah (Genesis 8:20-22), Abel (Genesis 4), Solomon (1Kings 3), Abimelech (Genesis 20:14).

 *What then is Sacrifice* ? Let us take a look at the book of Creation-Genesis 4:4 “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering”. We see Sacrifice in one fashion here. It is an offering unto somebody, an entity, for a cause, or in this sense unto God. Sacrifice is you laying down something for another. It is placing the needs of others above ourselves. One very explicit definition that I enjoy is this: Sacrifice is an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. We are made to understand here that Sacrifice is an Act, it’s something you nurture yourself, you grow into. We are not born with a life of sacrifice. If that was the case, everyone will be living sacrificially; but it is something we bring ourselves into and at whatever level we are. We also see Sacrifice as Giving. You cannot claim to be involved in an act and there is no form of exchange whatsoever-it’s either you are giving something or you are being given. Also, Sacrifice is something of Value to us. This tells us the nature of our sacrifice; not necessarily something expensive but must cost us something (the widow’s mite). In the latter part of the definition; Sacrifice is giving in Expectation for something. For a sacrifice to really be a sacrifice; there is the offering, the offerer and the one to whom it is offered. And for every offering, there is always a response whether a simple thank you or an expensive favour in return. It is very vital that we also understand; for any man to receive from another, he is to first let go that which he has received. We must understand that at certain points in our lives, there are sacrifices that have to be made in achieving a greater good. From the Holy Book, we are made to understand Abraham was a very faithful servant of God; this he showed in his deeds. As the bible says in John 8:39 “if ye are children of Abraham, you would do the works of your father”. But we see Abraham lived a life of sacrifice. The Bible speaking in Hebrews 11 paraphrased; “by Faith Abraham took upon himself every journey, heeded to every instruction, even wanted to give his only son”. He was all out sacrificing time, energy, resources even up to his son. The question now is Why will a man want to give all that is dear to him. And I came to the realization that we can never separate Sacrifice from faith (belief). Abraham had faith in who he was sacrificing to, so there was no need to doubt at any point when the instruction came. We should always have an understanding that there is a rewarder somewhere, who is able to bless us in that which we have given. A life committed to sacrifice is a life of blessing as we see our father Abraham in Genesis 22, we see God blessed Abraham after he made an offering of his son Isaac. God reenacted his blessings upon his life. We see men like Abel, Noah, Moses, King Solomon, seeking God’s face on the altar of sacrifice. Sacrifice is important in every one’s life and of even more importance to us as believers.

The Men That Lead

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