Last Sunday I used a phrase in my sermon that I found while studying the life of Noah. It is this: "sacrifice always precedes success." I was talking with one of our church members this morning who repeated the phrase to me, and that got the ball rolling.
Who do you know that has proven that phrase? Who hasn't? All successful people know that dedication, hard work, determination, counting the cost and so much more goes into the sacrifice that leads to success. Jesus found that to be true. In fact, He wrote the book on that one. He knew that it took His death to make us complete and that it takes high sacrifice to live the different kind of life that the Spirit leads us to know and live.
Think about it. What is sacrifice? I point you to two verses for some better understanding.
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 - Sacrifice is a choice a person has to make.
"...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice...your spiritual service of worship." verse 1
2 - Success comes by being who you are.
"...not be conformed...but be transformed...prove what the will of God is..." verse 2
Here are those same verses from The Message:
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life— your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life— and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." Romans 12:2 (MSG)
Are we willing to be successful? We want it, but are we willing to pay the price?
Who was the church member I was talking to? It is the football coach at our local high school that I was talking to as the team practiced. Now, that is application of the point!
Who do you know that has proven that phrase? Who hasn't? All successful people know that dedication, hard work, determination, counting the cost and so much more goes into the sacrifice that leads to success. Jesus found that to be true. In fact, He wrote the book on that one. He knew that it took His death to make us complete and that it takes high sacrifice to live the different kind of life that the Spirit leads us to know and live.
Think about it. What is sacrifice? I point you to two verses for some better understanding.
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 - Sacrifice is a choice a person has to make.
"...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice...your spiritual service of worship." verse 1
2 - Success comes by being who you are.
"...not be conformed...but be transformed...prove what the will of God is..." verse 2
Here are those same verses from The Message:
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life— your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life— and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." Romans 12:2 (MSG)
Are we willing to be successful? We want it, but are we willing to pay the price?
Who was the church member I was talking to? It is the football coach at our local high school that I was talking to as the team practiced. Now, that is application of the point!
Comments