Have you made sacrifices to serve God? Give an example. (Serendipity Bible 10th anniversary edition, page 1084).
Each
of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2
Corinthians 9:7 NIV).
Sacrifice:
: something given up or lost ;
LOSS
(Merriam-Webster).
As
sacrifice often carries the connotation of loss, I must confess that
my God does not require of me such sacrifice. For every time I have
served my God, it always has resulted in personal gain. This I can
state without qualification or exception.
Commitment
carries with it a setting of the face forward. Commitment does not
look back. Commitment glories in what is. It does not pine in what
could have been. When we with undivided attention serve God, we
choose not only a course of action but the values we serve. Since
our priorities have been set, there is no regret when other values
are not served. Let us say in the early 80s I choose to spend time
with the unfortunate. Today there is absolutely no regret that I did
not spend that time with a selfish eye cultivating connections with
the rich and powerful. Primarily this is due to the fact that any
superficial loss incurred was negligible compared to the great
personal rewards of loving relationships derived. God always pays
back disproportionately to the service given. But I suspect that
this is only true of the one true God. False gods I've observed can
extract sacrifice with a vengeance.
