From the Mother of a Rosedale International Worker
God first commanded the people of Israel to make a daily burnt offering in Leviticus 1. This sacrifice atoned for the nation’s unintended sin, inviting them to draw near to God. God no longer requires daily burnt offerings to atone for sin—Christ already bridged that gap for us through the cross. But what is our responsibility in response to His awesome gift and sacrifice? What can we offer? Romans 12:1 tells us, ourselves; our bodies, our lives—everything we have and are.
In Daniel 11:31, speaking of a future when the enemies of Israel would take control of Jerusalem and oppress God’s people, Daniel prophesied, “[They] will abolish the daily sacrifices…” As in Daniel’s time, the enemy’s scheme for our lives today is to abolish this practice of sacrifice; that is, to convince us that we don’t have to give up anything in order to connect with and have a relationship with God.
...we cannot present our lives to God as a living sacrifice and be selfish at the same time.
How does he aim to do this? The apostle Timothy gives us the answer: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,” and the list goes on (2 Tim. 3:1-2 ESV). All of these characteristics can be found under one heading: selfishness. Our enemy urges us to seek after what makes “me” happy and comfortable; but, we cannot present our lives to God as a living sacrifice and be selfish at the same time.
This daily practice of sacrifice can look many different ways and may change depending on our stage of life. Living far away from family and friends is one type of sacrifice. When we were younger, my husband and I moved across the world to serve in East Africa for a couple of years. I may have thought that I was done sacrificing—that those years had fulfilled the requirement for giving to the Lord. That was enough, wasn’t it? But following Jesus doesn’t work that way! No, I must continue daily giving my life to God, laying aside my agenda to be willing to serve others (some days I excel at this, and other times, I fail miserably).
Recently, I’ve encountered another aspect of giving to the Lord that has the potential to rip one’s heart out—children and grandchildren! For a parent, one of the most difficult realities of sacrificial living is giving our children to the Lord (they are already His, by the way!). We must be willing to let God fulfill His purposes in their lives. For my husband and me, this has meant releasing our son, his wife, and our granddaughters to serve God overseas in a hostile environment—releasing them not begrudgingly, but with blessings and support.
This sacrifice is not without pain and tears. We miss them terribly! Releasing them to follow Jesus is a daily practice of sacrifice to Him, and pride, fear, and loneliness become all mixed up in our hearts when we think and pray for them. Will it get easier as time goes by? Perhaps. But now, there is joy in knowing that they are in the palm of God’s hand. They are fulfilling the call that God has placed on their lives.
In these last days, as our enemy does his best to abolish our daily sacrifices and time spent with God, my prayer is that I can surrender all that I have to God freely and with joy—that I won’t let my selfish desires come in the way of what God wants to do in my life and in the lives of the ones I love. I invite you to join me in this prayer. It will all be worthwhile in the end, when we stand before God and can say that we have given all to Him.
Photo credit: Askar Abayev: “Elderly Woman Hugging a Boy”
