The Ultimate Sacrifice

Mission trips are about sacrifice. Missionaries leave their families, their friends, most of their possessions, and they strike out to live in a foreign country for an extended period of time. Many times, the only friends they have in a foreign country is God and the Bible. It is a time of great spiritual growth for the missionary. It is a time of great sacrifice.

In John 12:1-8, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with a pound of very costly perfume. Judas Iscariot objects to her actions. He reasons the perfume could have been sold to serve the poor. Jesus chastises Judas, saying, “Let her alone, in order that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me” (verse 8).

Mary sacrificed almost a year’s worth of wages to serve her Lord. Imagine taking almost $50,000 (the average American salary) and laying it all at the Lord’s feet. In her day, Mary had the opportunity to personally serve our Lord and Savior. Today, we have many other ways to serve God that require sacrifice. We can give to the church, to the poor, to missionaries, any cause that will advance the gospel of Christ.

But what do we do with the money God has blessed us with? Some Christians sacrifice generously to be able to give back to God. Honestly, though, many of us are like Judas Iscariot. John 12:6 says Judas was the treasurer among Jesus’ disciples and he used to steal from the money box. God has given us all a money box. Everything we earn goes into it. But we spend most of it on ourselves. We pilfer God’s blessings and throw a little back to the church to satisfy our conscience.

Do we really need new furniture? If we do, does it have to be that expensive? Is a big screen television or the latest electronic gadget necessary or do we just want it because it looks nice? Do we really need that gigantic nest egg for retirement? After all, we are “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). We don’t even know if we will live past tomorrow! Is a cushioned retirement worth a lost soul?

Sacrifices don't have to be about material wealth. Are you in an ungodly marriage? Do you have the courage to give up your marriage for Christ? Do you tell others about Christ? Or do you only talk about Him when others bring Him up? Do you have the courage to stand up against abortion, against drugs, against peer pressure? Or do you sit back and watch it happen?

Jesus gave up everything for you. He had more wealth than any of us could dream of, but He chose to come down to this earth and sacrifice His blameless life for your sake. He who had never experienced so much as a paper cut allowed Himself to be beaten and nailed to that rugged old cross. In the end, He had no friends, none that would step forward and claim Him. It was the ultimate mission trip and He did it for you.

How much have you sacrificed for Christ today?