Day 34 - Issue 27
Luke 9:24 NLT
'If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.'
Growing up, I enjoyed an American TV comedy called Bewitched. As a child, I longed for the ability to wiggle my nose and for my wishes to become reality. Samantha, the main character, had this power; life for her was effortless. The programme must have left a deposit of ‘magic dust’ in my mind, for I assumed that once I became a Christian all my troubles were over. In one sense that was true; I was in relationship with the source of life itself. In another I was entirely wrong, for it was my responsibility to work out my faith on the ground (Philippians 2:12).
Being someone who is very much of the moment, planning and preparation are never high on my ‘to-do’ list. So the idea of sacrifice being an essential feature of growth was something I tried resisting. Yet, as every athlete knows, sacrifice is a foundational element to their success. They need to adjust their life choices around their athletic ambitions. Unsurprisingly, Paul calls us athletes (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Simply becoming a disciple demands a level of focus I’d not really planned for my life.
Sacrifice means I put my ambition first and do all that I can to realise that dream. Sacrifice is critical to guidance, for none of us can realise our aspirations without it. It also helps clarify my ambition. Was I seeking to realise my sense of what God had for me, or something related to it? As I applied myself, I discovered there were things I needed to weed out of my life and practice to grow a healthier me. It was at these moments of self-revelation that I wrestled, like every aspiring athlete aiming to progress to a higher level of competition.
QUESTION: How do you react if you have to make a personally costly decision?
PRAYER: Lord, help me to place a greater value on the things that matter most to you.
