A Living Sacrifice

"And he sat down opposite  the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." ~ Mark 12:41-44


I read this with my family this morning during our devotional reading. And, I have to say, it had me confused. Doesn't it seem a tad unreasonable to give ALL that you have? I mean, in the current world we live in, we need at least a small sum in order to live. So, what did Jesus mean? Is he telling us to give away all we have and own and live on the streets? No, but, rather, we need to give enough that it hurts; a sacrifice. 

In Genesis 22, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. As he was about too, God told Abraham to stop. Likewise, God sacrificed His own Son for our sins. Shouldn't we be willing to sacrifice our stuff? We have so much: ipods, kindles, cell phones, computers, Netflix, etc. If Abraham and God can willingly sacrifice their sons, we should be equally willing to give up these petty items. 


We are called to be living sacrifices. Usually, people think of giving up their lives in order to share the gospel in a third world country. And, though this is one way, it is not the only way we can give our lives for the sake of the cross. We can serve in America, giving our time to church, the homeless, etc. We can give money to organizations in support of sharing the gospel. There are a plethora of opportunities. 


To go back to the parable Jesus told, the woman gave her last pennies. She gave so it hurt. We should follow her example and do the same. 


Radical, by David Platt, is an incredible book focusing on this exact topic. From this book, Platt has begun The Radical Movement, a list of 5 challenges that you can do over the course of a year:

1. To pray for the entire world.
2. To read through the entire Word.
3. To sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.
4. To give your time in another context.
5. To commit your life to a multiplying community.

I have taken this to heart and have begun by adopting a child from Compassion International - $38 a month that I probably would otherwise spend on clothes, eating out, music, and other such petty things.

I encourage you to do the same. By doing so, you will be investing in the kingdom of Christ and changing lives. Both are infinitely better than any material possession. 



"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." ~ Romans 12:1-2