INSPIRED BY SACRIFICE. 1 Corinthians 1:18,27.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inIt is Pride to think you can save yourself by doing good works, Pride, sacrificeTags:, , , ,

Are you inspired by sacrifice? By soldiers who die for their country? By athletes who gut it out? By people who fast for enlightenment? These are great things; they should inspire. But sacrifices mean nothing until you accept the sacrifice of Jesus.

Growing up in Manhattan in the 1950s, my uncle Bill was inspired by the sacrifices required by Eastern yogis and spiritualists. He tried yoga and sat in the Lotus position while chanting the mantra “ohm” to get in touch with “the Universe.” And then something unexpected happened. He heard a voice:

“I know you are praying, but who are you praying to?”

Bill was stunned. That blew his concentration. So much for yoga! God had spoken to him—it may have been the clearest word he ever heard from the Lord. He discovered he did not need to sit and empty his mind to reach the Universe. He needed to read the Bible and fill his mind with the thoughts of the Universe.

That’s what the Bible is, after all: it is God’s thoughts on every subject.

Soon Bill accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on his behalf, and he was born again. NOW he was ready to make a few sacrifices, to fast, to gut it out, to honor God with a life of monogamy and self-control.

Sacrifices draw some of us like moths to a flame, from the wartime sacrifices of storming the beaches of Normandy, to the religious sacrifices of climbing stairs on your knees, hanging by ropes from an actual cross, or fasting for 30 days. We want to make a great sacrifice—and we think it’s foolish to say we can’t save ourselves. But that’s pride.

God says humble yourself, admit you CANNOT save yourself, and accept the sacrifice Jesus made on your behalf.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved…. We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles…. But God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and what is weak to shame the strong” 1 Corinthians 1:18,27.

If you want to make a sacrifice, sacrifice the pride that tells you that you can get to heaven on your own: you need Jesus!

ΑΩ

Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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