"This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear." 1 John 3:16-17 _ The Message.
I think everyone would agree that putting Sacrifice and Comfort together is kind of like making a peanut butter and sardine sandwich – the two just don’t go together. There’s a reason for that – Sacrifice is supposed to be UNcomfortable. It’s supposed to make you twist in your seat at least a little bit. It should cause you to second guess and question your sanity. Sacrifice is supposed to be somewhat painful because it is stretching and pulling you out of your comfort zone while you’re going through it, but the rewards will make you soar.
We don’t like to be uncomfortable do we? We’ve even taken something as life-changing as sacrifice and we've turned it into something that is a bit easier for us to deal with. What do I mean? Well let’s take an example of someone standing with a sign asking for help at an intersection. We all see them and we all try to avoid eye contact as much as possible (come on admit it – I’ve done it too). One day you decide to reach in your pocket and pull out $5 and you hand it to the invisible person behind the sign – you feel a little uncomfortable because you you’re not sure if he is going to buy food or alcohol with the money; you feel at least a little bit good about yourself because of your act of kindness . . . and your “sacrifice.”
But was that $5 really a sacrifice? I mean, did it mean being able to pay your rent or car payment? That’s what I’m talking about, we’ve changed the meaning of sacrifice from something that is meant to take us beyond our means and capabilities, to more of a slight inconvenience. To most of us, $5 is nothing – it’s the cost of a double latte (with tip). It’s not a sacrifice at all.
What if Christ had taken the same attitude with us?
We’d ALL be in a lot of trouble!
The Bible say that the ONLY reason we are able to understand and experience the true love of Christ is because He sacrificed His very life for us. He gave all He had so that we could have life. His only condition was that we come to Him. He did the rest –He took care of all the details – He paid the entire price for you and for me.
Lately, this song has become my favorite worship song and the message of 1 John 3:16-17 are rooted within this song and I think that's why I am drawn to this song. Give it a listen and reflect on the words and the Scripture.
Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong United
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