Living Sacrifices

Throughout our lifetime, there may be a time or two where we will have to sacrifice something. We may sacrifice something small like our time to help a friend in need or to listen to them as they simply talk about how life is going. Some of us may sacrifice in a financial way, giving money to an organization annually, paying for someone's meal in a drive-thru, or even sponsoring a child. Sacrifices may sometimes be big, like having to put off life plans and dreams to help a sick family member or delaying college to stay at home and help a single parent. 

Like the definition tells us above, sacrifice is "the act of giving up something you want to keep...in order to help someone." Giving up something that we want to keep is not easy. Sacrifice is hard. It's freely giving something of high value away, even in moments when we are unsure of the outcome. Sacrifice requires stepping out on faith, to believe that what you are sacrificing is actually worth it. That what you are sacrificing is not as important as why you are sacrificing. Whether we are meeting a friend for coffee, instead of cleaning the house or giving up a fancy meal, to give food, water, and education to a child in need, our sacrifice of time and money, is overshadowed by the help, joy, relief, and friendship that others receive. 

There are different examples of sacrifice in the Bible. Abraham was faithfully willing to sacrifice his son Issac to the Lord, because he trusted that God would provide the lamb. There were burnt offerings and sacrifices of praise given to the Lord. Disciples sacrificed themselves for the glory of the Lord. But, the greatest sacrifice of all was Jesus dying on the Cross for us. He sacrificed Himself so that we all could have life. So that we would no longer be bound by sin. He gave His body as the ultimate, living, sacrifice. No longer are lambs needed to be offered up unto God, because the one, true Lamb has come. And the greatest beauty of all is that He is still alive. Christ has been delivered from the grave and He sits beside God. 

As Christians, believers of God in Christ, we are called to be living sacrifices. Daily we are to take up the Cross and remember Christ's sacrifice, so that we may be holy and pleasing to God. In Romans, Paul calls this our "spiritual act of worship."  Daily we are to sacrifice ourselves, so that God may use us according to His plan. Check out Romans 12:1-2.

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• Over 1.4 billion people in the developing world live below the poverty line (U.S. $1.25 per day).
• Children under age 5 account for less than 10 percent of the world's population, but suffer from 40 percent of the diseases attributed to environmental factors.
• Nearly 115 million children are out of school. Globally, some 53 percent of the children out of primary school are girls, meaning that for every 100 boys out of school, 115 girls are in the same situation.
• Water-related diseases are the second biggest killer of children worldwide. Number one is acute respiratory infections, such as tuberculosis.
• In 2007, an estimated 2 million people died of AIDS-related causes. Approximately 290,000 of these were children under 15.
• More than 140 million or 25 percent of all children in developing countries are underweight and at risk from the long-term effects of malnourishment.
• More than 3 million children under age 5 die each year from diseases because of environment-related causes and conditions.

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This is the other side of sacrifice. Every day, there are thousands and thousands of children worldwide who are unable to get the water, food, clothing, and education they deserve. They are sacrificing their basic needs, their lives, simply because they have no way to get these resources. Some put aside their own hunger, to give the last bite of bread to their underweight brother. Siblings share shoes, so they are all able to go to school. Parents try and find ways to provide for their families...any way that they can. We can safely sacrifice part of our lives, so these can simply live. 

Is there something you can give up, something you can sacrifice, to instead provide a child with food, education opportunities, and clean water? If you are interested in sponsoring a child, click the SPONSOR A CHILD button on the right sidebar or visit Compassion International for more information. 

Let's be living sacrifices together. 

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This post is part of Blog Month for Compassion Bloggers. 
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