The Sacrificial Mindset: Following Jesus Into True Freedom

Jesus started to leave, but a man ran to him and fell on his knees before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?” (Mark 10:17)

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Unlike the man who approached Jesus in this passage, you understand that eternal life connected to a sacrificial mindset.

After discussing the way this man adhered to the Ten Commandments, Jesus told him to sell all he had and give to the poor.  He went away sad because he had a lot of wealth and couldn’t bear to part with it. He didn’t understand the spiritual law of generosity. He didn’t realize that the death grip he had on his wealth was preventing him from receiving the eternal riches of God’s Kingdom.

Fortunately, you hold a deep understanding about the spiritual law of generosity. You know from experience that the act of giving brings freedom from the fear of not having enough.

You give of your time and energy to meet the needs of the marginalized in your community. You are exhilarated by the sense of freedom you experience when serving Christ and serving others.

You understand that following Jesus requires great personal sacrifice which some may view as quite costly. You do not see things that way at all. You are grateful for the freedom you find in the space of grace.

Rather than animal sacrifices required under the old Covenant, the new Covenant calls for a lifestyle of self-sacrifice, in which you gladly participate.

As needs arise in your community, you demonstrate a sacrificial mindset by feeding the hungry, giving to the needy, counseling the troubled, and assisting the disabled.

In these simple, yet profound tasks, your personal sacrifices enable you to engage in a spiritual dimension where immortality is the promised result.

Your sacrifices of time, energy, money, and talents in helping others are actually service to the Lord because as Jesus explained, “What you have done for the least of these, you have done for Me.”

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