As I’m sure you are mostly aware, today is the first day of lent for some Christian denominations, where some Christians either take up or sacrifice something within their own lives to honour the sacrifice that God gave by giving up his only son as a sacrifice for all of our sins. I don’t know if any of you have given something up, whether it be chocolate or something more significant, but lets actually look at that sacrifice for a couple of moments. The scripture has many references to different sacrifices but today I’m going to look at the following:
Hebrews 7:27.
27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
This particular passage really does drive home the point and the amazing gift of life that God has given to us through the death of Jesus. How many of us would actually give up our lives just for one person. Its interesting when you look at songs and poems that non Christians write when they talk about dying for someone, but when the rubber hits the road, how many of these people would give their life for someone.
Lets think about that for a second, they offer their lives to someone they either love or know very well, can you imagine if they did something wrong against the writer, they wouldn’t want to die for them. However Jesus died for everyone, even people that hadn’t even been born at the time and for the billions of people who have ever lived, he gave his own life as a sacrifice to all people without fear or question to enable these people to receive redemption from the wrongs that have been done against him.
As Christians we are taught to be like Christ and live as he lived and strive to do the things that he has done. I don’t know about you but I’ve failed every day in this, I’ve sinned against God and I’ve been foolish with my decisions. Yet everyday I pray that God take my life, my whole life and all that I have to offer and use it in His will, I am effectively sacrificing my old life and asking God to use my new life for what he wants from me.
There is a paradox that Christians live with and that’s when we know God’s forgiveness and worth, yet feeling inadequate and worthless as humans before him. We need to give everything we have, even if we don’t think that is very much to God and do his will and we will be blessed in life and when we stand before God and we are told, “Enter, good and faithful servant”.
I don’t know about you but actually thinking about that makes me want to give more than I have to God who blesses us for our sacrifices of faith to him. So today, if you are giving up something for lent, think about your sacrifice and think, am I giving all that I am as a sacrifice as Jesus gave up everything to save you.
I pray that God will use your life and will make your sacrifice a act of faith and trust to God’s unfailing love and forgiveness.
By Jesus’ death I am saved.
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