Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 ~~ Psalm 116 ~~ Rom. 8:1b-34 ~~ Mark 9: 2-10
Sacrifice
It is good that we are here!
What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you able to sacrifice? Is sacrifice a personal decision? Or is sacrifice a chosen state of mind?
Sometimes we think we are making a sacrifice when in reality we are not.
Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?
Maybe not when you think about Abraham willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.In the Old Testament they were required to sacrifice animals as part of their religious practices. Blood shed and terminating a life was common and acceptable then.
I think of the those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Did they chose to sacrifice their lives? Is 'paying the price' an essential part of sacrifice?
The price for our salvation was the life of Jesus. Those killed in action in our military sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 'Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones'. Was that part of the deal when they signed on the dotted line?
Is giving up television for lent really a sacrifice?
If we practice small sacrifices does that prepare us for greater sacrifices? I think it is the greater deeper love that prepares us for greater sacrifices.
Our religious heritage is rich with the sacrifices made by those holy men and women whom we call martyrs. Some of them took the opportunity to come forward and offer their life in exchange for anothers life.
Paul writes, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
There is no greater love than to give one's life for another.
The magnificent vision of the Transfiguration was God revealing the Glory of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus, his beloved son, was making for us. Jesus sacrificed his divinity to take on our human flesh. He did in any was lose his divinity through this act. It was just less evident to those who were not ready to see clearly.
We can only bow down in appreciation for this ultimate sacrifice made for us.
The Ultimate Gift!
Prehaps our greatest sacrifice is to step out of the way;
allowing God to create us for himself.
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for God?
I will take this question into my prayer time.
If we practice small sacrifices does that prepare us for greater sacrifices? I think it is the greater deeper love that prepares us for greater sacrifices.
Our religious heritage is rich with the sacrifices made by those holy men and women whom we call martyrs. Some of them took the opportunity to come forward and offer their life in exchange for anothers life.
Paul writes, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
There is no greater love than to give one's life for another.
The magnificent vision of the Transfiguration was God revealing the Glory of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus, his beloved son, was making for us. Jesus sacrificed his divinity to take on our human flesh. He did in any was lose his divinity through this act. It was just less evident to those who were not ready to see clearly.
We can only bow down in appreciation for this ultimate sacrifice made for us.
The Ultimate Gift!
Prehaps our greatest sacrifice is to step out of the way;
allowing God to create us for himself.
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for God?
I will take this question into my prayer time.
Will you join me?
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