sacrifice
Serving Like the Angels
The angelic beings who directed the shepherds at Christ’s birth provide us with a challenging example of humble service to Christ’s people for Christ’s sake.
Sacrificing Like the Wise Men
The wise men, who sacrificially left their country to worship the Christ child, provide us with an exemplary motivation to sacrifice the world’s pleasures and comforts to follow and serve Christ.
Giving Gifts Fit for Royalty
We must understand and always thoughtfully consider that our Christian financial giving is an extension of our loyalty, love, and submission to the King of kings.
Worldly Comforts & Godly Sacrifices
Jesus, with every right to establish the terms, makes clear that to be on his team we must give up the worldly norms of managing our own lives and putting our own interests and loves above his sovereign leadership.
Worldly Profits & Godly Investments
Christians can and should live a life of extreme generosity as we cultivate a deep assurance about God’s promise to repay our engagement in selfless good work.
Acceptance & Hospitality
Because we are made in God’s image we all were designed to be openly sharing our lives with a select group of friends who are pursuing the same spiritual goals.
The Importance of Costly Cultivation
In our evangelism we must do the difficult and often uncomfortable work of exposing sin by presenting God’s holy laws in the context of expressing true compassion and sacrificial love.
Better to Give than Receive: Reflecting the Incarnational Love of Christ
Christ should be our example in how we are to sacrificially love when people are difficult, trusting that God will faithfully reward those who imitate Christ.
When Following Him is Painful
It is important that we anticipate the costs of following Christ in this world knowing that any sacrifice we make is not worth comparing to the benefits of salvation and eternal life in God’s kingdom.
When the Task Seems Impossible
We should learn from Christ’s compassion and selflessness, confident that he will provide what is needed when we sacrificially step up to face the challenges he providentially sets before us.
The Hallmark of the Spiritually Prepared
To be prepared for the arrival of Christ’s kingdom we must be sure that we have grappled with the gravity of our sin and are trusting exclusively in Christ for our forgiveness.
Our Struggle to Say “Any Thing”
Because Christ is the sovereign Lord knowing best how our lives should be invested, we must resolve to love and trust him enough to willing do anything he might ask of us.
Working Harder At Love & Unity
We must lovingly anticipate the potential negative impact our “gray area” decisions might have on others, and always be willing to sacrifice our freedom for their spiritual good.
Real Love Good Friday
The Real Love of God is a kind of incomprehensible love that was willing to sacrifice an only beloved Son for the salvation and blessing of sinners.
Willing to Serve Its Participants
We must work through all the obstacles that stand in the way of enthusiastically investing in the gospel’s harvest because the goal is worthy and the rewards are great!
Reconsidering How Hard We’re Willing to Fight
Most Christians could and should do a lot more to fight temptation’s draw and stand up for what is right in our daily lives.
Trusting God Enough to Give Him Our Best
Perceiving God’s greatness and generosity should bolster our faith to ambitiously give God our best efforts, best behavior and best gifts.
Setting Our Sights on a Lifetime of Serving Christ
Being a lifelong follower of Christ is the expectation of the genuine Christian life. Leaders have modeled it for us and Christ has given us the ultimate example!
Why the Son Became One of Us
Christ offers to God the Father what we cannot; And at great cost to himself, he sacrificially endows us with incredible, unearned and eternal benefits.
Our Most Underappreciated Commodity
We should wake up the incredible and precious gift God has given us in entrusting us with his word; and so we should reverentially dig in to our Bibles every day!
The Son of God
We should know and appreciate what we mean when we say that Jesus is the “Son of God” and our lives should reflect the profundity of that statement.
The Thankful Focus of a Healthy Church
We ought to always remember the incredibly high price paid for our forgiveness and live compassionately and gratefully in light of it.
A Primer on Counting Your Blessing
God expects our lives to be characterized by joyful thanksgiving, because he deserves it and we need it.
When Your Passions Meet Your Prerogatives
Don’t let the exercise of your freedoms put you in harms way; steer clear of situations which might tempt you to sin.
The Price of Being Really Nice
God richly rewards those who are willing to sacrifice their trivial desires for other people’s lasting good.
Why You Feel Like a Loser When You Try to Be Nice
We must be quick to give up our prerogatives for other Christians whose conscience might be tweaked over the exercise of our freedom.