The Meaning and Value of Sacrifice

In Mark 12, Jesus teaches His disciples a profound lesson about sacrifice. He is watching wealthy people donate large sums of money into the treasury when notices a single poor widow offer too small copper coins (a modern day cent). He then calls His disciples to Himself and makes the statement, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on."As human beings, we value sacrifice. When we think of sacrifice, we often think of the men and women who have laid down their lives in battle. Why are we so enamored by these fallen heroes and heroins of war? Because they gave up everything they had for our freedom. The message of Christianity is so powerful, because it involves at its very core a sacrifice being made. But, it isn't just that some guy died on a cross for the salvation of mankind; it's that the Son of God gave up the splendor and majesty of the heavens for the harshness and cruelty of earth. A sacrifice, in baseball, occurs when a batter deliberately takes an "out" so that another of his teammates may advance a base. The batter himself loses his chance for individual recognition for the sake of his team.

What is the point of all these illustrations? Sacrifice isn't about the aboslute value of how much you give up; it's about how hard it is for you to give up what you do. If it doesn't hurt, then it isn't sacrfice. If it isn't every cent that you have, you aren't sacrificing. If it isn't your very life, you aren't sacrificing. Sacrifice requires you to give everything up. This begs the question: why would anyone want to make a sacrifice? The answer is simple: a sacrifice is made when a person values what someone else is getting more than what that person is giving up. Veterans value our freedom more. Jesus values our salvation more. The batter values his team's victory more. That is what sacrifice is all about.

What about your mission? What are you willing to sacrifice to succeed at what is most important to you in life? Just remember, if it doesn't hurt, then it isn't sacrifice. If it's easy, then you aren't really giving anything up. Are you willing to sacrifice:

Sleep to get up and exercise?
TV to review a presentation?
Cookies to stick to your diet?
Partying to focus on the project you have going on for work?
Vacation to service an important client?
Income to purse the career of your dreams?

What are you willing to give up? How much does it hurt? King David says in 2 Samuel 24:24, "...I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing." Do you value your goals and dreams enough to pay whatever it costs to seem them realized? If you are serious about living your mission, you have to be willing to hurt. It's going to be painful to become the best you that you can be. The question is, do you value that destiny more than your own comfort? Is your mission worth the sacrifice? I think you know the answer. Don't let anything stand in the way of your success: recognize the value of sacrifice.