“But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:20-25
This past weekend I served at a Christian event. I knew that I would need to give up some of the normal comforts of life, that I would need to push my body beyond what I would consider a wise pace for my health concerns and that my diet would also be compromised. However, I was not prepared for what I would consider unnecessary risks for myself and others due to disregard and lack of effort. I’m not talking about malicious acts by evil people, but rather inadvertent decisions and actions by genuine godly people whom I have come to appreciate over the last few days. The perceived lack of safety put me in a mode of questioning my decision to serve, counting down the hours until I could leave and started a running discussion in my head regarding what is “reasonable sacrifice”. Thankfully, God quickly took me to the example of Christ which caused my issues to pale in comparison and allowed me to serve to the best of my ability and develop new friendships.
With respect to sacrifice, consider the following elements: preparation, opportunity, people, sacrifice, and reward.
Preparation
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”(Psalm 145:18) Before even considering the elements of sacrifice, we need to discuss the condition of our souls. There are many reasons why we let our soul care lapse: demanding jobs, meeting the needs of family members, participating in church programs, lethargy due to illness, or laziness to name a few. Any one of these may create a challenge while the combination of two or more may make it seem impossible to really draw close to God. However, when we don’t maintain a close relationship with our Lord, we easily get out of step with respect to His will for us. If we are to adequately discern which activities in which God wants us to be involved, we have to stay in close fellowship with Him. As in all things, we should look to Christ’s example. He spent much time in prayer to the Father and communing with the Father and the Holy Spirit so that He could carry out the will of the Father and have the strength to endure His suffering. When we are firmly established in our relationship with God, we are able to move forward to become conduits of His grace and fulfill the tasks that He has chosen for us.
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26) When presented with an opportunity to serve, one of the first things we should weigh is whether or not the opportunity allows us to serve in a manner consistent with following Christ. Not all things presented to us as Christian events are truly godly endeavors. Even when they are, we must discern whether or not God wants us to participate. That said, there will be times that we are called to serve God in a secular setting. That’s why our soul care is so important, because as service opportunities arise, we need to be able to discern how God wants us to use the gifts and resources that He has provided.
People
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) One of the greatest challenges to service is often dealing with people. Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 3:10 goes on to say “There is none righteous, not even one.” We are all sinners and are in need of Christ’s work of redemption; therefore, we cannot refuse to meet the needs of others because they don’t meet our standards. Further, Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” None of us is deserving, but God through Christ has freely given us salvation. Likewise, we must freely give so that those we serve may be reconciled to God as we have been. Even when we are serving or working with Christians, we must remember even though our sins are forgiven, we all still err and must allow the love of Christ to work in and through us to overcome any conflicts that may arise. Christ didn’t wait until we were perfected to die for us and begin to work in our lives, but rather died for our undeserving souls and continues to work with and in us despite our sins and missteps.
Sacrifice
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) How does one define reasonable sacrifice? The question itself seems to be a bit contradictory in that if something is “reasonable”, then there is probably little sacrifice. This weekend stretched me farther than I was comfortable, but I survived by God’s grace with little damage. Further, I generally would not go to a third world country for a mission trip as my digestive issues would likely make me more of a burden than help. However, if I felt that God really wanted me to go, how could I refuse? God gave His precious Son for our salvation. Christ endured the limitations of a human body, was regularly challenged by His disciples, was rejected by the majority of the Jews and the Jewish leaders, was despised, beaten and crucified for our salvation. The Holy Spirit must deal with our sin and intercede for us because we are incapable of adequately expressing our needs. God has spared no expense in His plan to reconcile sinful undeserving men to His sinless being. In that light, how can any of us hold back what God asks of us? Yes, we may need to balance our various responsibilities and adequately communicate with those who depend on us, but if God truly asks anything of us, what basis do we have to deny Him? Christ’s command in Matthew 10:8 is succinct: “Freely you received, freely give.”
Reward
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) The joy set before Christ was the completion of the tasks that God the Father had given Him. In short, through His death and resurrection Christ satisfied the penalty for our sin, defeated sin and death, and reconciled God and man. When His tasks were completed, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father and sits as our mediator. We too should find joy in the work that God gives to us knowing that we are serving Him; are being used to extend His grace to those around us; and that the sacrifices asked of us and any suffering that we may endure are worthwhile in light of the outcome. Our reward is in knowing that we are faithful servants and that one day we will abide in the presence of our God for eternity clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
God has a plan for each of us and we were created with specific tasks in mind. To truly fulfill those tasks, we must master the art of sacrifice which is summed up in 1 Peter 2:21: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” When God calls, how can we not be willing to give what He requires of us?
May you find joy in the service of our Lord.
Will