Much is said about sacrificing for the things we love. It is considered honorable to sacrifice something for something. Some tell their children, “I am working this hard to provide everything you need.” They say they are sacrificing for them, never mind that the child is crying out for time with Dad—a time that can’t be recovered.
Recently, I was participating in a business conference. I was amongst a few millionaires and a few very ambitious people. As I listened to some of the topics, I concluded that there are four things we should never sacrifice: 1) our relationship with God, 2) our relationship with our spouse and family, 3) our integrity, and 4) our health. However, as I ponder this thought, I discover something I have never seen before.
Studying these four items, I started looking for the things we can sacrifice. The deeper I got into the study, the more I was left with one question: are we called to sacrifice anything? For sure, we are called to sacrifice something! Well, thankfully, the Bible is not silent about this topic; here are a few Old Testament portions of Scripture:
And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. First Samuel 15:22 (NIV)
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 (NIV)
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV)
We know that in the Old Testament, men sacrificed animals to God for various sins and reasons as part of the Law. It is essential to point out that the animal was the sacrifice, not the human. Also, I noticed that there were other things more valuable to God, such as 1) obedience, 2) righteousness, 3) justice, 4) a broken spirit, and 5) a broken and contrite heart.
In the New Testament, the sacrificing of animals ceased; sacrifice is only attached to Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. I do not see one time when sacrifice is connected to any human. Hebrews 10:12-14 tells us,
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (ESV)
This portion of Scripture tells us that Jesus offered a single sacrifice. By doing so, he perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. The New Testament carries the same concept of obedience; this time, Jesus positioned obedience as evidence of our love for him when he states, “If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15 (NIV)
We are not called to sacrifice anything but to be obedient to God. Jesus did it all: We are now righteous (Romans 3:22) and justified through Jesus (Romans 5). As a believer, our spirit is born again (John 3), and God gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26 / Hebrews 8:10). Beloved, this is why we are partakers of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).
Whatever we do that seems like a sacrifice is not; it is what we are supposed to be doing, such things as… working and holding a job. We are called to make a living! (I Thessalonians 4:11). We are told that if we do not provide for our families, we are worse than infidels (I Timothy 5:8) and that if we do not work, we do not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10-13). This is not a sacrifice; this is a mandate.
The issue is not working; the problem is when working becomes the idol that takes our time away from God, when we lose our integrity to make money, and when we sacrifice our families and even our health for the sake of ambition. So, as glorious as it sounds, sacrifice is something none of us are called to engage in; Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice. This is the reason why Jesus himself told us,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
He said that his yoke is easy, and His burden is light; nevertheless, when we sacrifice our relationship with God, our integrity, our marriage and family, and our health, the yoke becomes overwhelming, and the burden becomes crushing. When we sacrifice these things, we will reap a life of misery and regret.
In our selfish ambitions, the world has a particular definition of success: money, a big house, fancy cars, power, and influence. However, we don’t have the authority to define success; God and only God determines success. Jesus tells us, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matt. 16:25 (NIV).
Our focus is on doing things God’s way, not the ways of the world, in that we will always have gain. However, when we pursue the ambitions of the world, we will always experience sorrow despite the beautiful photos we post of ourselves on social media. It is all a lie; you are miserable and know it deep inside.
In Mark 8:36, Jesus asked a fundamental question that helps us inventory what is truly important in life: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36 (NIV) This verse tells us the unmatchable and innumerable value of our souls as we can gain the whole world and still lose our souls. Sadly, the arrogance of this world argues against Jesus. That is an argument against absolute truth. An absolute truth that many discover in their dead beds when it is too late, and some died in this lie singing the old Frank Sinatra song… “I did It My Way,” they die in their pride.
Beloved, be aware of the trap of ambition. An excellent way to determine if something comes from God is by getting a hold of Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” (NLT) When a blessing comes from God, it has two distinctive characteristics: 1) It makes us rich, and 2) it has no sorrow attached. Many of us in the USA are already rich compared to the rest of the world; we don’t know it. We often have more than enough to live, but we are horrible stewards of God’s blessings, so we get in trouble financially. This is not God’s problem; this is ours.
The Apostle John states his desire that we may prosper, but God’s prosperity will never sacrifice our relationship with God, our relationship with our family, our integrity, or our health because it is prosperity that goes along with the prosperity of our souls. Prosperity requires maturity; if we are not mature, prosperity will give us misery. The misery that some are feeling right now.
If you find yourself with a great business, making more money than you would ever need, but in building that business, you lose your wife and children, integrity, health, and most of all… God, etc., that sorrow you feel is evidence that your blessings did not come from God. You know you are in the trap of ambition because you will never be satisfied; if you make a million a year, you want a million a month; if you make a million a month, you want more and more. So, you never really stop working; you never stop thinking about work; you are always looking for the next big sale. You can’t have peace and joy.
In conclusion, what I described to you is the lie of sacrifice and the trap of ambition. Get out of it before it is too late. Pray, know what God’s will is for your life, and walk in that; that is a place of peace and joy. The Apostle Paul gave us a great insight; his contentment was not based on what he had or did not have; his contentment was in his relationship with God and in doing God’s will.
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