Sacrifice

While doing some interesting studies at church recently, we covered a very interesting topic. The topic of sacrifice came up. We all make sacrifices in our lives, some more than others of course, for various reasons. We all make sacrifices in everyday lives. They sometimes involve family, friends, work, and any number of other things.

However, one example that was stated in the Bible absolutely boggles my mind. Before you assume that it's the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for us, that one is too easy and obvious. We all know the verse and the song that states "No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die." However, in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul takes even this verse so far to the extreme, that for me, what he says is so far out there, that it's simply unimaginable. In Romans 9:1-3 Paul states the following: "I tell the truth in Christ, I a not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my bretheren, my countrymen according to the flesh."

Wow...think about that for a second. Paul is saying that he would sacrifice his own soul, and go to Hell, just so that the very people who persecuted him could have the opportunity to know the glory of God. I don't know about you, but to me, that is absolutely unfathomable. To be willing to sacrifice ones own soul so that others may know Christ is an amazing statement. It definitely opens your eyes to just how awesome and glorious being with Christ can and will be. And when you think about it, Paul only really knew Christ's glory while He (the Lord) was on Earth, so Paul himself probably didn't know just how awesome Heaven is. Yes, he may have known through some sort of divine intervention and knowledge, but really...think about it. He knew just how great Christ and Heaven are and he was willing to spend an eternity in Hell just so those who didn't have his knowledge and wisdom could experience it.

Paul's love and compassion for his fellow man simply cannot be questioned. I like to think of myself as a pretty nice and loving guy. I try my very best to have love and compassion for everyone, especially those who are less fortunate than I am. But man, would I be willing to ask the Lord to send me to Hell so that someone else could know His glory? I honestly can't say that I would. I don't think that that makes me a terrible person, not by any means. It does show me that no matter how much love and compassion that we have for people, that more than likely, there is more that we can do. There are more opportunities out there. There are more souls to be led to Christ. More lives to change.

Just some food for thought. I hope and pray that you are all doing well.

~God Bless~
Greg