For good reason the Apostle Paul said, "And if I deliver my body to be burned, . . . but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians13:3)
At times, suffering and dying for God would be easier than living for him. For some, exchanging earthly existence for heavenly life would be a bargain. Christians, however, seek no escape from the rigors of living and loving in a fallen world. They know that, in this world, only love willing to live sacrificially has the power to demonstrate faith and effect lasting change.
Sacrifical love can never be calculating. Those who desire a profit from suffering and martyrdom will find no reward in the kingdom of heaven. Living sacrifices, not burnt offerings, are what the Lord most desires.
Christians live to love sacrificially. They neither seek suffering nor flee martyrdom. Nothing less is a worthy response to the love of the Lord who died to redeem us and and then rose from the dead to give us eternal life.
2 comments:
Amen!
Do you worship a God of Love or a God of Hate, A God of creation or a God of destruction. Everyone talks about God in such an abstract way, but our view of God is internal which leads us to interpret the scriptures according to that view. The view is literally about life and death.
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