If obedience requires sacrifice, how is it that our sacrifices don’t necessarily prove our obedience?

Not much time is needed to answer this question based on my own life experiences.  During Lent one year, I decided to give up chocolate.  I figured that I could go ahead and knock out two birds with one stone!  I could partake in the suffering of Christ and lose some of my sweet tooth at the same time; it would maybe even get three birds if I lost weight while I was at it, too.  But let’s look at my attitude and motivation.  Was giving up chocolate for 40 days a way to pursue God or my body image?…  Who was glorified through that sacrifice: me or God?

The Message

For those of us who have been relying on the rituals of religion, this is a very frightening realization!  After all, it just proves that God is not fooled by our empty actions or our empty offerings.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?  All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

- Isaiah 66:1-2 -

As the last post discussed, obedience does require sacrifice because we must give up things that keep us from obeying God.  In this way, all of those sacrifices are made with the intention of drawing us closer to God and into the center of His presence and love.  In this pursuit of God fueled by love from and for Him, there is no room for selfish ambition….

 ”Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1).

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him” (Isaiah 55:7)

Are you ready to return to the Lord with the greatest sacrifice?  Are you willing to admit that all you have to bring are empty hands?  Then come, come to the Lord…

The very foundation of Christianity is based on obedience and sacrifice.  In the garden before being arrested, Jesus “fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39).  Jesus knew that God had placed him on the earth with a specific purpose, and He was obedient, even to the point of death.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his stripes we are healed…”

Isaiah 53:5

It’s easy to put Jesus on a pedestal, right?  We can look up to him as our sacrifice, just like the serpent on Moses’s staff in the wilderness and say, “Yes, he is the only way by which I’m saved!” (Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15).  But what next?  It’s necessary to remember that we could never add to the cross… none of our actions will ever make us more worthy of God’s grace.  But here’s a question that those who have looked on Christ as their Savior need to consider:

“What next?”

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”

John 15:20

Those are the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples!  Even though they were spoken two thousand years ago, they are just as true for us today.  We are no greater than our Teacher.  If we are to live a life that is hidden in Him, then our lives must also take on that requirement of obedience and sacrifice.  However, sacrifice and obedience must not be used to prove ourselves through the ability to deny the flesh… As we draw closer to Christ and become more and more hidden in Him, we’ll find that obedience and sacrifice come naturally for another reason:

love.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments are not burdensome.”

1 John 5:1-3

In other words, once we’ve been saved through Jesus Christ, then we can love God.  When we love God, we will love His children, and when we love God, we will love His word.  When we love His word, we will delight to follow it. When we delight to obey God’s word, we will draw closer to Him, love His children, and–in all of this–become more like Christ.

And when we become more like Christ, we will grow in love for our Father.  We will delight even more in obedience to Him, even when it costs us the most painful sacrifices.  Nothing–not even the loss of worldly success, separation from family and friends, or even death–will keep us from following and serving the One that has already buried us in death and raised us to walk in newness of life to walk with Jesus Christ (Romans 6:4).

***

Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior?  Have you been raised to walk in newness of life, not for the flesh, but for godliness and to grow closer and closer to God?  Then ask yourself, “What does it look like to obey God’s word, to love His children, and become more and more like Christ?  What must I do in order for this to be true of my life?  What must I sacrifice?”  If you have not yet believed–even if you think you have but your actions do not prove a faith in Jesus that alone saves–what is holding you back?

To God alone be all the glory.  May He abound more and more in your life, and may the motivation of His love that He first gave us fuel your every action, spark your every thought, and determine your decisions today and every day.

Praying your day is filled with SONshine,

***

Over the past few months, I’ve learned so much about sacrifice.  While pursuing a Masters degree, teaching classes as a TA, and other responsibilities, I honestly didn’t have much time for hobbies.  Perhaps for the first time in my life, I accepted the new reality in which writing was only “my hobby.”  With the strong temptation to dust off my manuscripts and write another devotional on this site rather than finish my school work, I had to set writing to the side.  Out of sight, yes, but “Compelled”, the manuscripts, the publishing how-to books, etc. could never…ever…ever… be truly nor completely out of mind.

How does this experience of my life relate to yours?  What’s the purpose of writing about it now besides to explain my absence from the blog?

As followers of Christ, we all must wrestle with the topics of obedience and sacrifice.  There will even come times in which we have to wrestle with questions like, “What does it mean to obey the calling of God?” and  ”What sacrifices must I make in order to obey Him and fulfill His purpose through my life?

While I certainly don’t have the answers, I long to grow closer to God through asking these types of questions.  It’s my hope and prayer that you will find this as a place where you can come, be challenged to re-evaluate your relationship with God, and receive encouragement to earnestly seek Him!

Now after months of questioning, here’s what was laid on my heart about honoring God through obedience:

Over the next few days I’ll break down this statement into three separate posts.  I hope you’ll come back by and join me in this season of learning about obedience and sacrifice as necessary and also rewarding aspects of our relationship with God!

We all love the story of the prodigal.  We love the story of his return home, of his father running to meet him with open arms, of his graceful reacceptance and joyful reception.  We love to picture the gathering of friends and family to celebrate.  We can even almost hear him singing “Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound!  That saved a wretch like me… I once was lost… but now I’m found… was blind… but now I see!

I wonder what the prodigal son felt as he made the journey “home”.  I put that in quotes because I bet on his way back, he probably doubted if he would even be accepted or allowed to serve his father as a slave, certainly not to dwell in the house as a son.  I’m sure that his shame tried to keep him still with offers of false security.  Even worse, the prodigal probably heard his false sense of freedom claiming that he’d never be “free again” through sacrifice and obedience.

There must have been a deeper calling, though.  He must have felt a greater need than to appear right in his own eyes or to be protected from the pain of wounded pride.  He must have felt the depths of misfortune, and I wonder if he recognized  those trials as discipline in disguise… tools to transform a selfish man into a shameless servant.

Have you felt like the prodigal son too?  If we were all honest, I bet we all would admit a time in our lives when we ran away and feared return.  Remember though, there is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).  So if you find yourself away from the home of God’s heart, return to God and find that in resting in Him and in the sacrifice of His Son, you will be saved (Isaiah 30:15).  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8)!

Run into the arms of the Father and find that He will never let you go…

Today I write to you with some very exciting news!  My brother, Brad, proposed to his girlfriend (now fiance) Jessica  We are so excited for them and for the blessing to be part of their very special day!

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so after a quick background story, we can let the pictures speak for themselves…

For many many weeks, Brad has been brainstorming with us about different ideas for proposals.  Yesterday while driving from our grandmother’s house in Mississippi to Jacksonville, FL, Brad announced his plan: to propose to Jess after watching the sunrise on the beach.  We brainstormed and worked out all of the details… Brad would surprise Jess by waking her up early and taking her to the beach.  The coffee would already be waiting for her in the car…

Mom, Mrs. Catherine and I were the “reconnaissance team,” and our day began early with a quick run to Starbucks.

Then we were off to the beach!  While Mrs. Catherine and Mom waited in the car (With the car off of course!  We had to be sneaky), I hid behind a palm tree to start my stealthy mission of snapping pictures of the proposal without being seen.  The picture below is of Brad and Jess walking from the car and towards the boardwalk to go down to the beach…

I was right behind them the whole time, and–praise the Good Lord–they never saw me!

When the coast was clear, Mom and Mrs. Catherine even came out to hide out too!

While laying spread out within the thick of the sea oats, I prayed that God would send some birds to have for some pictures.  Guess what happened shortly after…

God provided!

And now….

The big question!

She said “Yes!”

“I will betroth you to me forever.

I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.

I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.

And you shall know the Lord.”

Hosea 2:19-20

Even while here tonight and think back on the wonderful morning that we had, I praise God for it all: the weather, the sunrise, the birds, the peace that He gave to Brad, the “yes” that came from Jess’s lips, the tears, the smiles, the laughter…  Most of though, there is one thing that I am most thankful for, and that is the reminder of God’s patient and perfect love.

Over the past few years, it has been my joy and privilege to watch the way that God has molded and shaped both Brad and Jess.  From friends to fiances, they have grown together in love and care for one another in a relationship that will only grow even deeper as they further pursue marriage.  With this, I pray that the truth of God’s love for them as His very own bride will grow even deeper.  May it be God’s glory alone that is continually revealed as they proceed step-by-step in this exciting, new step closer together in this journey of life!

To Brad and Jess, I love you both so very much and am sooo excited!!! Y’all are precious

***

Happy engagement and Happy New Year!

I hope that you will take the time to rest for just a moment, listen to this song, and be blessed through the reminder of God’s goodness and love in an involuntary action so taken for granted yet so necessarily–our very breathing.

The presence of the Living God
Satisfies the depths of my heart
And all of me I changed when you came
And I’m made free by Your glory and grace

I breathe You in,God
‘Cause You are there all around me

I breathe You in,God
‘Cause You are there all around me

The brightness of Your love’s pure light
Pierces through the darkest of nights
And everything is possible now
For God is here
And God is good

I breathe You in,God
‘Cause You are there all around me

I breathe You in,God
‘Cause You are there all around me

And You are good, God
For You are good to me

For You are good, God

For You are good to me

And when I don’t understand
I will choose You

When I don’t understand
I will choose You, God

When I don’t understand
I will choose to love You, God

When I don’t understand
I will choose You

When I don’t understand
I will choose You, God

When I don’t understand
I get to choose to love You, God

 When I don’t understand
I will choose You

When I don’t understand
I will choose You, God

When I don’t understand
I get to choose to love You, God

For You are good, God
For You are good to me

 For You are good, God
For You are good to me

Its my honor

It’s my privilege
To worship You
To worship

For You are good, God
For You are good to me

For You are good, God
For You are good to me

“I am continually with you;

you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.”

Psalm 73:23-26

]]> http://sarahhollinger.com/2012/12/10/psalm-7323-26/feed/ 2 Sarah_Hollinger flower and hands statue http://sarahhollinger.com/2012/12/04/in-the-security-of-his-love/ http://sarahhollinger.com/2012/12/04/in-the-security-of-his-love/#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:30:33 +0000 Sarah http://sarahhollinger.com/?p=2079 ]]> Hello!  It’s sooooo good to be back and writing again  I’ve missed y’all so much!  Thanks for still checking in here and there during my absence, and I look forward to writing again more…

Over the past many weeks that I have been away, the Lord has been gracious.   The past few weeks, even months, were a time in which I temporarily gave up writing and the blog in order to better pursue my graduate studies and other relationships.  It has been hard, but this just is an affirmation of the truth that obedience to what God calls us to do is not always easy.  Sometimes we may not see a tangible result of our action or “reap what we sow.”  Sometimes, we may even wonder if we are actually hearing the words of God or something/someone else trying to distract us from Him.  Every time though, obedience to God requires sacrifice…

In those moments of realizing what God desires for us to do, there can be tension, right?  After all, what about our desires?  What about the plans that we have made?  But as the RUF minister at Mississippi State asked in his sermon the other night—“When was the last time that God’s love brought you more security than the plan you have made, the relationship you’re in, a title you’ve earned, your outward appearance, etc.?”

For the type-A personality like me—organized, driven, and purposeful even to a fault—that question opened my eyes, heart, AND mind to a reality that I had pushed away.  Maybe I had felt it here and there, but I pushed it away not wanting to pay the price of obedience and admit that the plan that I had made for my life was fallible and based on limited, human understanding.  But the Lord had other plans.  He wanted to bring me back into the safety that is ONLY found in the overwhelming presence of His love, and I’m so grateful that He did.

Sometimes following the will of God can cause temporary pain, but remember that He disciplines His children as a father would—with love and with purposes for their good.  Always though, living in obedience to God brings more security, peace, and joy than we could ever experience elsewhere.  After all, when resting in the warm embrace of His presence, what do we have to fear and what could we possibly lose?

So now, I ask you the very same question: When was the last time that God’s love made you feel more secure than anything else in your life?  What act of sacrifice and obedience would it take to draw closer to Him and to the security of His love?

The meaning of the Spanish lyrics are different than the English version, so let me translate…

“Los debiles pueden decir fuerte soy en aquel que resucitó por mí

• The weak can say, “I am strong in Him that was resurrected on my behalf”

los pobres confiesan hoy mi esperanza está en él; bendecido estoy

• The poor confess today, “My hope is in Him.  I am blessed”

Que arda en nuestra corazón un fuego que consuma todo por mí

• What burning in our hearts, a fire that consumes everything in me

y con los cielos cantaré eres el Rey

• And with the heavens I will sing, “You are the King”

Te amo Dios

• I love you, God

Te adoraré 

• I adore you

Eres Señor

• You are Lord

Solo tú eres fiel..

• Only you are faithful

——————————————————

He is faithful, and those that have hope in Him–that trust Him and are certain of His promises–are blessed.  In the midst of it all, Jesus is the King, and He is the Savior.  He is the fountain of Living Water.  He is the embodiment of the strength and power of the resurrection.  He is a passionate fire that engulfs the hearts of His children.  Through all, in all, over all: He is.

Dearest Heavenly Father, How great you are!  You are Savior, and You are King.  You are everything!  In the chaos of this life, may I lose myself in the fire of your love and power.  Consume my doubts and fears, Lord.  Like the chaff among the wheat, burn every impurity until all that is left of me is you.  You are faithful, even when I am not.  I am weak and poor, God, but in you I find strength.  All praise and glory be to you, Father…

Praying your day is filled with SONshine,

Sarah

We long for a boundary.

With that sentence I may have lost the approval of fellow outdoorsmen and hikers.  Even the most adventurous hiker though, needs to know basic limitations to ensure his survival.  We put pictures in frames.  Countries have borders.  Just as I learned through teaching, not only do we need to have the basic requirements of a project, but we crave for the bigger picture.  Deep down we desire  to see the scope of what we’re doing and how it will fit within the much greater masterpiece that we call life.

The amazing part is that God created us to be exactly that way!  He gave us His Law in order that we would know His requirements to living a perfect life, to live free from sin.  Remember, His Law is an expression of love, too.  ”Do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery, honor your father and your mother, remember the Sabbath, etc.”  Following the Ten Commandments protect us and others from the ravaging wages of sin: death.

Yet there is another way that God gives us a boundary to preserve and protect our lives…

He is the boundary.

Close your eyes and think of this image, there is no place that you can ever be away from the presence of God.  His presence encompasses all of the earth, and there is no place to which you can run and escape the palm of His hand.

Rest in this truth today… Rest in the presence of the Lord!  Live within the hem.

Praying your day is filled with SONshine,