The Great Sacrifice
04/05/08 11:50
“He believed God
–and it was credited to him as
righteousness.” This is what was said of
Abraham, to teach us that the righteousness that God
imparts to His children comes by faith through belief
in Jesus Christ. I think that every red-blooded,
born-again Christian truly desires God’s will
not only in this world, but also in their own
personal lives. They are tired of all the evil and
injustices that are seen in this life. They are
blessed to see fairness and love and are touched by
little stories of human compassion. Western Oregon
girl’s softball team was playing Central
Washington in the Northwest Athletic Conference for
the title. Western Oregon’s Sara Tucholsky, hit
a three run homerun; her very first! As she rounded
first base she wrenched her knee, tore her ACL and
collapsed. The umpires ruled that they could replace
her with a pinch-runner, but she would only be
credited with a single and only two runs could be
scored. The first baseman and shortstop of the
opposing team asked if they carried Sara around the
bases, could it be scored a homerun. The umpires
allowed it and Sara got her homerun. The amazing
thing about this is that because of the homerun the
Central Washington Wildcats lost 4-2, and were
eliminated from getting the title. Those girls on the
Wildcats deserve applause for their sportsmanship
even at the cost of sacrificing their chances for the
Division title. Yes, it is stories like this one that
reminds me that I want God’s rule in my life.
Now, this sort of thing doesn’t come from
trying to be good and never making any mistakes. I
know that when I try to be good, holy and righteous,
I find myself more critical of my behavior and sadly,
the behavior of others. It is a fine line and a
dangerous edge that one walks when he tries to be
righteous by obeying God’s law. It really
can’t be done. The more someone thinks that he
is in right standing with God, because he is good
–is actually falling away! “What are you
advocating here, Pastor Jim? Should we live any old
way that we want so that we can be righteous?”
Absolutely not. But if we think that we are going to
get to Heaven because of how good we are, we will
need to learn Christianity 101 all over again. No,
what I am advocating is simply, a relationship with
Jesus rather than a religion of rules. This is what
God offered Abraham. God didn’t say,
“Abraham, if you try to be really good, maybe
I’ll let you in Heaven after you die.”
No, He offered Abraham the promise of eternal life if
he would walk with God. Abraham took God up on His
offer and the rest is history! But there may be
elements of the story that may have gone unnoticed by
the masses, and that is, to walk with God causes
great sacrifice. Abraham was asked to leave his
family, his home, his son and to believe even against
all hope. Abraham believed, and it was credited to
him as righteousness. Has God given this promise to
you? Are you ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to
walk with God? Do you believe even against all hope?
If you do, then rejoice, brother and sister, because
God’s promises are sure and His word never
fails. If there is something that God is asking you
to sacrifice (namely your will) then don’t
hesitate. Believe God and it will be credited to you
as righteousness!
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