Today I will spend time thinking about what sacrifice is not.
It is not an excuse to feel sorry for myself because of what I have to endure.

It is not an excuse to indulge myself in the sin of pride about how disciplined, righteous, or holy I have become.

It is not an opportunity to let slip how much I am giving up for God. Sacrifice without telling anyone except God is the Biblical model.

It is not an opening for resentment to set in. Sacrifice that is not "living" is, in the end, resented. Resentment leads to self-destructive behavior trying to let others know how much pain we are in or how much we want to hurt the object of our resentment.

Sacrifice is not in any way self-destructive. Self-destructive behavior can look like sacrifice, but in the end is either attention getting or an outlet for anger or both.

I must keep to the middle ground - avoiding the dangers that lie on either edge of the road that leads to transformation by renewal. My goal is healthy thinking, not sacrifice for any other reason.

I have mixed feelings about only having 5 more days to work through this concept of sacrifice. There is so much I haven't finished and likely won't get thoroughly processed. That's both the frustration and the encouragement in this. Never enough resolved and yet the rest of my life to follow this along.

The idea of a 'holy and acceptable' sacrifice is worth another day of thought. I am tempted to be unholy so often that I can feel unacceptable. But there is no sin in the temptation, and resisting the temptation leads to real acceptability in God's eyes.

Holy and acceptable -
Holy - set apart and cleansed for God's use,
Acceptable - allowed into His presence,
my "living sacrifice" is to be cleansed by God, set apart for His use, and familiar with His presence in my life.

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, for this is your reasonable service."

This is how I memorized this passage as a child. Sacrifice, reasonable service, holiness - all worked together to make me acceptable. Not very exciting, not encouraging independent thinking or attitudes. Much more the sheep than a lion.

I have rebelled against this concept all my life in ways both obvious and subtle. I am not enamored with being the sheep. I like the lion, but have come to think that the lion is likely the easiest route for a selfish person. When I am on the highway, it would take much more effort and discipline to drive like a sheep rather than a lion. A selfish person sees the world as his to take and other's to give.

But Jesus was the sheep - the Lamb of Life. What I have learned from Him is that He wasn't a sheep because He was born a sheep. Instead He chose to become the Lamb of the World by choice.

This choice took the courage of a Lion and the endurance of a champion. He, the Lion of Judah, showed His strength by His choice. The sheep was not looked on with any admiration at all until the moment spoken of in Revelation when the Lamb is shown as the only being who was worthy. Sacrifice, holiness and reasonable service. May I understand where my true strength really exists.

There must be a difference between sacrifice that is forced on me and sacrifice I choose in order to accomplish something for Good.

Persecution from doing good is one kind of sacrifice forced on me.

The Bible says that sacrifice from persecution is to be endured as a way to identify with the sufferings of Jesus. I don't choose this sacrifice, even though it may be a result of Godly behavior. This kind of sacrifice is character building, developing an endurance in the face of different kinds of pressure. It is also a witness to those aware of my sacrifice.

Sacrifice I choose is what I deny myself in order to gain something greater. I sacrifice time spent in certain pleasures to devote that time for God. I sacrifice satisfying certain appetites so I can live without guilt draining my spiritual effectiveness. I choose to sacrifice for the joy that lies on the other side of what that sacrifice will produce.

Jesus chose to sacrifice Himself "before the foundations of the world" - "Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising its shame", knowing that there would be an ultimate benefit.

I think that "living sacrifice" is something I choose.

I think there is a serendipity to sacrifice - the unexpected leftover that is astonishing in its reward and resultant joy.
I'm not sure it happens every time, but it may always be there waiting to be recognized.

I am sure that those who focus on the pain of the sacrifice may well miss the serendipity. There is always so much to react to in life that it seems so easy to dwell on one part or another and not see the whole.

I visited my 80 year old mother this weekend. A couple of years ago one of my sisters became unable to care for her kids and the oldest, Luke (10 then), went to live with my parents. It was a sacrifice in many ways. When Dad died last January, the serendipity became very apparent. As Luke put it a few months ago: "Grandma and I have a symbiotic relationship - we need each other."

And they do. Together they make life work - each sacrificed and now the serendipity is seen.

How much time do I spend looking for the serendipity instead of fixating on my sacrifice?