As a living sacrifice

 

Photo credit goes to Meg

Movies do something to me. When I'm watching a movie I immediately get caught up in the emotions and feelings of the characters. I'm a bad one to bawl :)


The other day we watched a movie called "The End of the Spear". It is a movie based on the true story of missionary Nate Saint and his encounter with the Waodani tribe, as told through his son Steve Saint.


The movie is very graphic and shows both the Waodani and the missionaries side of the story.
To make a long story short after spotting their location from his airplane and dropping several gifts. Nate Saint finds a beach to land on in the jungle and he along with Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian try reach out to the Waodani by meeting them in person. After one encounter with some of them, all the men were very excited and eager to see them again.
In a sad twist of events, to save his own life (the Waodani were very violent people and quick to kill when wronged) one of the Waodani men lied to his people and told them that the missionaries tried to kill them. In reaction the Waodani tribe speared and killed all of the missionaries.


Watching all of this unfold before my eyes made me realize what an incredible sacrifice that those men made for their God. To watch them become so excited about meeting with the people that ended up taking their lives breaks my heart.
Sure they didn't know what was going to happen, but I figure that they would still have done it even if they did know. As a result of their obedience... the tribe was reached and a door was opened that ended up bringing many of the Waodani people to Christ.


In watching the story unfold of those missionaries that gave up their lives for the sake of Christ, it got me thinking of the sacrifice that Christ made when He gave His life for us... He was the ultimate sacrifice.


It also made me wonder, what on earth am I doing? What have I given up for Christ's sake? How have I obeyed the calling of offering myself as a LIVING sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)
Truth is I haven't done ANYTHING compared with what my Lord has done for me.


I sometimes find it so hard to give up the "stuff" in life. The little things that become so important, something that I can't bear to think of living without. The stuff that us "modern" folk have become so accustomed to have somehow nearly replaced God himself.
Do me a favor and think for a moment what your favorite thing to do is... then imagine that God asked you to give it up, for good. What would your response be?
Now think about who your favorite person is... imagine that God asked you to give him/her up, would you do it?
Would you be able to risk your own life if God asked you to?
HE DID. And what is even more awe inspiring is that He did if for YOU and for ME.


Have you ever tried to show Him that you are grateful for that? That is the question I've been asking myself lately. 
How have I proven that I'm grateful for the incredible gift that Christ has given me? 


Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.