THE SACRIFICIAL LIFE

Ephesians 2: 8 tells us that we are saved by the grace of God, through our faith.
In other words salvation is a free gift to those whose faith is a reliance on the
sacrificial death of Jesus Christ who died for our sins.
We are pardoned by our faith in the finished work of the cross. To believe in
Jesus means to trust in and daily depend upon Jesus each and every day of our
lives.
Salvation is free. Jesus is the one who made the sacrifice for our salvation.
However, we too, are required to make a sacrifice for the Lord.
Romans 12: 1 – 2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren (fellow believers), by the
mercies of God that ye present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service (rational worship). And be not
conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
The sacrifice we need to make in our lives, is transforming our minds to the word
of God. The sacrifice we need to make is to see, hear, read and be taught the
word of God.
We need to make the time and the effort to see, hear, read and be taught the
word of God. This will involve a sacrifice on your part to make this practice a
priority in your life.
It is the sacrifice of giving up other things that would prevent you from being in
the word of God.
In the parable of the sower of the word, Jesus shows us those things that will try
to prevent us from seeing, hearing, reading and being taught the word of God on
a consistent basis.
Mark 4: 15 – 19 tells us what things will try to steal what is required to make this
sacrifice.
1. Hard hearts and heads that refused to receive the word of God, which
permits satan to steal it.

2. Afflictions and persecutions which challenge your ability to trust in the
word of God.
3. Cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches and lust of other things, which
choke the word and make it unfruitful.
The sacrifice we need to make in order to grow our faith is to resist all these
temptations and make the time and effort to see, hear, read and be taught the
word of God.
If Jesus sacrificed His life for our salvation, surely we can make the sacrifice to see,
hear, read and be taught the word of God on a consistent basis.