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SACRIFICES
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Have you ever thought about sacrifice? The dictionary defines sacrifice as the offering of animal, plant, or human life, or some object to a deity, as in propitiation or homage. The sacrifice of something valuable for the sake of something having a higher or more pressing claim.
I am not referring to the practice of animal sacrifice that Jesus did away with when he offered the ultimate sacrifice of himself on the cross. I'm talking about the second definition; the giving up of something valued for someone else.
We do it all the time. We give up things we want or enjoy for our spouses, our children, our family and friends. But what about sacrifice for God?
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I must admit, I never really gave the whole sacrifice-thing a lot of thought...at least until a few days ago. I happened to catch an episode of, "LIfe In The Word" by Joyce Meyers. Now the first time I saw that particular series, it didn't impress me much. Perhaps I wasn't ready. The second time I caught it, it really made me think about sacrifices.
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Joyce Meyers was discussing lukewarm Christians, how we live with one foot in the world & one foot in Christianity. Admittedly, we don't like to think of ourselves that way, but in the vast majority of cases, it's probably true. It is for me. Joyce touched upon the kind of entertainment we enjoy, such as movies & television programs. The basic gist of it was, would God approve of the way we spend our time? The answer for me was no.
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It was a hard thing for me to admit and harder still to consider changing the fact.
I knew I could continue on much as I was & it wouldn't affect my relationship with God for the worse...or for the better. It was this latter, which concerned me. I knew if I wanted God to change my life for the better, I had better change my life.
I felt as though God had gone as far as he could with me the way I was. If I really had a sincere desire to grow, to strengthen my relationship him & improve my circumstances, then I needed to consider change.
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I didn't realize just how difficult the decision to change my life, into something God could approve of, would actually be.
There were a thousand adjustments (I'm being kind) I knew I needed to make, but even the smallest of these became monumental. For instance, I have three television shows I really enjoy: Buffy the vampire slayer, Angel, and Star Trek voyager. I rarely missed an episode.
I had to ask myself, would God approve of them? The jury is still out on Voyager, but I pretty much knew what God would say about good ol' Buffy & Angel.
Oh, I knew I could probably quibble over the semantics, which I was severly tempted to do. After all, both programs dealt with good battling evil. But no matter what I thought...or wanted, I knew God would not approve.
This was made even more difficult with the fact that I was in the midst of a two-part episode of Buffy. I wanted the conclusion. I wanted closure. I wouldn't get either. My relationship with God is just more important.
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Let me tell you something, whenever the flesh is involved in sacrifice, it screams.
It was not merely a case of my own wants, although that in itself was enough to do in any good intentions. I has to deal with my family. Let's face it, I was going to take some heat for this one.
Whenever someone decides to make a stand for the sake of God, they immediately come under fire. They are either fanatics, stupid, or just plain crazy. Just look at the prophets of old, madmen all.
I got it from my son, on the way to his school. As far as he is concerned, I have something stupid in my brain. At least I'm fairly certain that's how he put it. I will get it again tonight, when my husband learns of my latest and greatest.
In their defense, they encounter these decisions warily due to the fact they fear I will impose them upon them. I won't, but they don't know that.
Back to my only child (lucky for him). My son decided it was his sworn duty to enlighten me as to what I was in store for. He reminded me of the movies I had planned on renting. By now I am crying on the inside. In another moment I would be screaming right along with my flesh because my son further feels he needs to question another little delight of mine. Video games. I am a quest nut. I have been waiting a year now for two awesome quest games. I am in the throes of agony. My days of quest are over because there are no Christian video games out there.
Did you hear that desperate cry of help, all you video game creators out there?
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What is the positive side to all this sacrifice? I don't know yet. (Just kidding!) It's a strengthening of my relationship with God. I am serious & quite sincere in my desire to change my life for the better. There's another little added plus. Time. Now that I've restricted myself from the majority of television shows, movies, & video games, I will require something to occupy my time...or drive myself crazy. This means, in theory, that I will now have time to do some of the things I should have been doing all along, like spending time in the word. It will also give me time to do something else I need, exercise. I am chronicly lazy. Definitely not the body in motion that stays in motion. If given a choice between working out & watching TV, any guess which one I'll be doing? Thank God there are some good Christian programs out there like: Touched by an angel, 7th heaven, & Chricken soup for the soul.
And if all else fails, maybe I'll consider an outside activity. Something, anything, that God could approve.
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They say misery loves company, so I'm going to leave you with a question. Would God approve of the way you spend your time? Think about it, because I really could use the company.
And remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19:29; And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers or children or fields for my sake will recieve a hundred times as much. And yes, the world is a field.
by Je' Leites
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