I�ve found that sometimes I have had to give up something I loved so I could have something I loved more. When I look at how God sacrificed his son for me, for us, then I can come to grips with what is truth. The passage of scripture Luke 14:25-35 is power packed with much meaning, but particularly these verses which have impacted me:
14: 26 If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him. 30 saying, �This man began to build and was not able to finish.� (NASB)
Then. 14:33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possession. 34. Therefore, salt is good: but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35. It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (NASB)
Years ago I had to decide about where my priorities were in terms of serving God in ministry. The battle to let go of traveling out of town for social things with family or friends, or having to change activities that would conflict with serving in ministry. And I was challenged to make a decision and ask myself some deep questions like �Who you gonna serve? My own needs, friends, family� or God? It was hard at first, but once I began to yield to the Holy Spirit in me, and allow God to work in me and make me a better working, functional vessel for Him, it became easier and easier. It took a little time though. The love I had for my family never changed, however, my love for God changed me in away that God replaced all those closest yet remote from me� He added more to me in serving Him.
Sacrifice for God demanded that I had to make a choice. Having to prefer God�s truth, and not my own way. I heard in a sermon last week about us deciding whether we are going to be �hanging on the cross with Jesus OR the ones holding the hammer to nail His hands�. Sacrifice is about choices.
Don�t know if you�ve had any similar experiences. Just sharing. ~ GraceMae
Ever watched a welder work? Sometimes God's fire is just like that torch. It cuts away all the bad, all the rust, all the deformity, the rough edges. That can be a truly painful experience. But after a while, it gets easier, and just like steel, you'll be "dipped in fire, pounded out, and reformed." If you lived outside of God's grace, yeah you're gonna lose a lot. This will sound cold I know: but when I see my friends in the afterlife, and they go one way, and I go the other, they won't be able to say I never told them. (about God) I know how cold that sounds, but it's the reality of the situation. And yes, the welder's torch is extremely painful. But you're better off for having gone through it all
