Sacrifice
“The cautious faith that never saws off the limb on which it is sitting never learns that unattached limbs may find strange, unaccountable ways of not falling.” – Dallas Willard
The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is filled with examples of sacrifice. For hundreds of years, sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sins and the worship of God. Today, this type of sacrifice is no longer required, but there is still something very valuable in the concept of sacrifice.
The discipline of sacrifice involves abstaining from the possession or enjoyment of those things that are necessary for living. Dallas Willard says, “The discipline of sacrifice is one in which we forsake the security of meeting our needs with what is in our hands. It is total abandonment to God, a stepping into the darkened abyss in the faith and hope that God will bear us up.”
- Read Genesis 22:1-19. What do you learn about sacrifice from this story? What are the things that would be hardest for you to live without?
- Read and meditate on Luke 21:2-4. What do you learn about sacrifice from this story? What might be an equivalent sacrifice in your life that would be similar to what the widow did?
- Choose something necessary in your life that you will go without for at least a week.
- Identify your favorite charity and write a check for whatever amount you have remaining in your check book. Trust God to meet your needs for the rest of the month.
- Pick a material item that you use a lot and feel you need. Give it away to someone who needs it more than you do.