Sundays Message (10/19/14): To Give Or To Give In? That Is The Question Which is more important to your spiritual life, sacrifice (Give) or obedience (Give In)? Those who choose sacrifice might note that everything about Jesus Christ was defined by His sacrifice. By definition, sacrifice is: forfeiting something highly valued for the sake of gaining something more desirable or preventing evil. By sacrificing, we can regain footing with God and remains the single most effective way to right wrongs we may have committed. We are encouraged to do so throughout the Word, as evidenced in Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” So the giving of oneself as a sacrifice is certainly worthy of making a case in this debate. Those who would choose obedience would most likely point out that it is the single best means of expressing pure love to God, as proven by John 14:23 – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” By definition, obedience is complying with or submissive to the restraint or command of authority. Whether by His sacrifice or simply His submission to His Father, Christ was the most obedient of all God’s creation. I Samuel 15:22 closes the debate with the statement, “To obey is better than to sacrifice.” While that seems very clear, the more important question is why. Sacrifice, while critical, is a means of receiving or retrieving something (ex: remission of sins). The intention with sacrifice is often personal gain; even if personal gain is necessary for existence. However, obedience is motivated by an extension of pure love for another. The giving in to obedience is intended to show the other that we aren’t just verbally expressing a commitment to them, but following through. And the reason why is simply because we love them. To be clear, both are critical components in our service to God. Sacrifice returns us to the presence of God, but obedience allows us to stay with Him. To give or to give in? Maybe the best answer is simply, “Yes.” Note: An analogy made Sunday: obedience & sacrifice are similar to our twins, Wiley & Ryan...twins from the same source, just not identical (thats the reason behind the picture included)
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 02:42:45 +0000
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