Sacrificing myself...

I have been going through these past few months asking myself what it truly means to sacrifice myself. How does this lifestyle impact me?

On one hand it means putting other people before me.
On the other hand it means putting God before everyone and everything else.

I look at the way our society views a sacrifice. Back in the Old Testament days a sacrifice was an animal, and based on the "quality" of the animal and the "quantity" of the animal(s), was the basis of how much you sacrifice. But was the sacrifice back then given out of obligation or out of love for God?

Some of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament made sacrifices for God, and then some of the prominent figures also refuted and rebuked others for their false idols and half-hearted sacrifices.

Fast forward to the New Testament and we now see a new sacrifice. Jesus dying on a cross. God sacrificing His son. A sacrifice made by God for all people, so that they may no longer have to sacrifice animals to God. But now we are given a commandment(s) by Jesus, probably the greatest commandment ever...Love God, Love Others.

Taking this greatest commandment...how do we apply it to sacrifices. Fast forward to today. Sacrificing time and money seem to be the best way that we can sacrifice. But we run into the same problems as the people in the Old Testament run into. Are we sacrificing out of an outward love towards God or are we sacrificing due to an obligation, and our hearts are only halfway in it?

When does this all come down to sacrificing ourselves...our all? When does it get past money and time, and we just offer ourselves to others. Because if we offer ourselves; our time, money and whatever else is included in all of that. No longer do we worry about what to give, or what to sacrifice because by offering ourselves...that is all we need to worry about.

So the real matter is this. Are you offering yourself to God? Are you readily making yourself available to others? What is stopping you from giving to God what is rightfully His? Do you want to give yourself to God?