A Sacrifice with a Purpose
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
John 10:8-11
When Giuseppe Garibaldi was leading the struggle to unify the nation of Italy in the 1800s, he faced numerous military obstacles in addition to political foes. At the beginning of his campaign, the great general was forced to rely on volunteers to fight for his vision of Italy. After one rally, a young man came up and asked him what reward he might expect if he enlisted in the fighting. Garibaldi replied,
“Wounds, scars, and perhaps death. But remember that through your bruises Italy will be free.” The young man responded, “Then I will follow to the death.”
The measure of a sacrifice is not just in how much is given up, but in how much is gained in return. The coming of Jesus into the world to provide salvation required the greatest sacrifice in all of history. The perfect Son of God left Heaven and exchanged His glory and wealth for poverty and scorn. Then He took upon Himself all of our sins and died on the cross: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Just as Jesus thought us worthy of His sacrifice, we should consider those around us important enough to reach even at great cost.
John 10:8-11
When Giuseppe Garibaldi was leading the struggle to unify the nation of Italy in the 1800s, he faced numerous military obstacles in addition to political foes. At the beginning of his campaign, the great general was forced to rely on volunteers to fight for his vision of Italy. After one rally, a young man came up and asked him what reward he might expect if he enlisted in the fighting. Garibaldi replied,
“Wounds, scars, and perhaps death. But remember that through your bruises Italy will be free.” The young man responded, “Then I will follow to the death.”
The measure of a sacrifice is not just in how much is given up, but in how much is gained in return. The coming of Jesus into the world to provide salvation required the greatest sacrifice in all of history. The perfect Son of God left Heaven and exchanged His glory and wealth for poverty and scorn. Then He took upon Himself all of our sins and died on the cross: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Just as Jesus thought us worthy of His sacrifice, we should consider those around us important enough to reach even at great cost.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The work of God is worthy of any sacrifice that He calls us to make.
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