Lifted Vision Ministry

Hello all! We have reached the final part of our three part series today: The Core Teachings of Jesus Christ and we are ending it with a *bang*! The final and most significant attribute that Jesus not only demonstrated throughout His life, but modeled so that we too could life an enriched and full life is none other than: sacrifice.

3) Sacrifice

-Mark 10:45 ESV-
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus lived His life on Earth not for Himself in the least bit. In fact, His reason for coming to Earth was to be a sacrifice for all mankind; to redeem us and reconcile us to God the Father and to die on the Cross for our sins. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, but He also calls us to lay our lives down as well as a sacrifice to Him too. How can we achieve this you may wonder? Well, the practical application lies with the wise words of the apostle Paul:  “I die daily.”(1 Corinthians 15:31)

Jesus said it another way: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Living a life of sacrifice means putting God first in your life: His wants, become your wants; His desires, your desires, His actions, your actions; and all of this is accomplished through the wonder-working power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside all of those who believe in Jesus. It is a supreme blessing to your life to follow Christ; to want what He wants and to deny yourself. Herein lies the definition of true freedom and enables us to have an enriched life, abundant in the blessings of God.

-Romans 12:1 NIV-
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

If you struggle in this area, please leave a comment below so that we can pray for you! Remember, laying down your wants and desires is the perfect place of surrender for God to use us for His perfect will. I promise you won’t regret giving your everything to Christ because He is trustworthy and His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). I want to leave you with a song today by Brandon Lake which I believe demonstrates beautifully the heart that we should strive for to the exemplify Christ, and live a sacrificially-full life for Him alone.

To God alone be the Glory! God bless you friends!