This morning, I woke up in a comfortable bed in my large house with central air and heating. I said good morning to my family, ate a delicious breakfast, and freely read one of my many copies of the Bible. Next, I took a hot shower and got ready for work.

Maybe your morning looked quite similar to mine. Because of where I live and the circles I run in, my life doesn’t necessarily require me to make big or noble sacrifices for Jesus. I complain that the WiFi is out temporarily and I can’t read my online devotional; meanwhile, Christians in other countries are being heavily persecuted for their faith, even to the point of death.

Jim Elliot was a missionary. He was killed in 1956 while attempting to share Christ with a tribe in Ecuador. He's quoted as saying, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” This quote is reminiscent of Matthew 16:26 — if we gained the very world, we could not keep it, so why bother? Nothing will last except for Jesus, and Jesus is forever.

Just because we’re not called to make any huge sacrifices right now it doesn’t mean that we won’t be called to make them one day. We need to prepare ourselves by remembering this truth: Jesus will always be better. We could lose literally everything on this earth and it wouldn’t matter, so long as we have Jesus — and we will.

Lord, don’t let me take my blessings for granted. Thank you for the promise of eternal life with you. Help me see the truth of Matthew 16:26. Prepare me to make sacrifices for you by reminding me that you will always be better. Amen.

Throughout this Day: Don’t take the good times for granted. If life is going pretty well for you, thank Jesus for your blessings today. Pray that in hard times God will remind you that He is always worth the sacrifice.



Tags: gratitude Matthew 12 sacrifice
Photo Credit: Clay Leconey on Unsplash