Sacrifice~

February 17, 2015

Challenge

• List your top five priorities (something regarded as more important than another; fact or condition as being regarded or treated more important).
• Now, list at least five sacrifices (the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else to help someone) that you have made, and make on a regular basis for those priorities. Be honest.
• Look over your list. Are your top five priorities really priorities?
• Make a list of five things that you can do to make the priorities you listed truly priorities. 
• Reorder your list, what are your actual priorities? 

Now that the lists have been created, what are your top priorities? Are they on your list? What do you spend most of your time doing? Social Media? Television? Reading books? Partying? Work?  Again, be honest. If you are spending a lot of time on social media, watching television, sports, working out, working, anything that is taking a lot of your time and focus, that is a priority.  Sometimes things that are not necessarily a bad thing to be a priority, can be unbalanced.  Are you sacrificing (giving up something important or valued for the sake of other considerations) for that priority? If not, reevaluate that priority.  Is that a priority that you want to keep?  Do you value that priority?  Do you take that priority for granted?  Do you truly sacrifice for that priority?  Really think about it.  Don't let it beat you down, rather, let it motivate you to be better.

I know that when I listed, and evaluated my priorities I was a little disappointed.  While a few of them are truly priorities, I may be over achieving (sacrificing more of myself than perhaps I should), and a few, I am seriously failing at.  Balance is essential.  The ones that I am failing at should be more of a priority than they are, and therefore have listed what I can do to make them better.  Now I have to implement, and take action. 

This may open your eyes a bit as to what your priorities truly are, as well as what priority you are in others.  Brace yourself, it could be a little painful.  It can also be satisfying.  Whatever it may be, know that your value and importance is not based on others.  

Just a few scriptures on sacrifice...

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). 

"I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good" (Psalm 54:6).

"Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another" (Romans 12:1).

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17).

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality" (Colossians 3: 23-25).

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3: 7-11).