Sacrificing Through Works and Possessions

When it comes to the Christian and sacrifice, three things usually come to mind: Jesus, a lamb and diving in front of a bullet intended for another.  The truth is, many are unable to make a sacrifice even remotely close to that which Christ did for all, certain organizations would frown upon animal sacrifices and most of us will not be met with the need to save another’s life by sacrificing our own.  This boils down to the need to offer up a sacrifice of praise to God by other means.  There are a number of words on sacrifice in the Bible; many detail examples of sacrifice (Abraham sacrificing Isaac, Josiah sacrificing the priests of the high places, etc.) while others spell out commands and exhortations for sacrificing (Romans 12:1, Eph. 5:2, etc.).  The truth is that God requires sacrifices of His children, sacrifices which come from lips that acknowledge His name and take the form of doing good and sharing what the believer possesses.
“Through him then let us continually offer up sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:15 and 16 (ESV)
As this verse states, the believer is to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.”  A sacrifice of praise has its origins from lips that acknowledge His name.  This statement is obviously dissimilar from the argument that “everything is God’s; therefore we must give it to Him.”  A person’s Star Wars memorabilia collection did not fall from Heaven in the same way manna fell for the Israelites in the desert.  For many, the fruit of their labor was the basis of their ability to make such purchases.  When applied to a believer and taken in the context of their sacrifice, the primary source of the sacrifice is God as He has created all things, but the secondary source is a set of lips that acknowledge His name.  In order to live sacrificially, the believer must acknowledge His name in everything.  When He is acknowledged, then there is something to sacrifice.
Though many see sacrifice as connected to material possessions, doing good is an essential aspect of sacrifice the writer of Hebrews points out.  As evidenced by the widow’s giving all she had in Luke 21:1-2:
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
The point is not what is given, but the heart that is behind the giving.  A sacrificial heart is seen more in acts of love and doing good than in what or how much is given.  This is perhaps the more difficult form of sacrifice as it requires the believer to address their pride and the motives behind their sacrifice.  A person is not able to give wholly of themselves without first making themselves worth giving.  This is done through careful self-examination and prayerful reading of Scripture. Through this and the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer, they are able to see where their giving is not pure and their attitude toward others is negative and, most importantly, align themselves with God’s call on pure and living sacrifices.  Dr. Gary Keisling speaks to the difference and importance of self-sacrifice when he wrote: “Sacrifice encompasses more than financial support. Sacrifice means giving yourself away in service to others. It involves investing your life into the lives of other people so they can experience the reality of Christ’s love.” (Keisling, 2012)  When the heart and attitude are able to do good, the believer is then making a sacrifice not of material possessions but of themselves.  This is not the end of self-sacrifice as the believer is also required to share what they have been given.
To some, giving away money or possessions is easy as they give only a small amount and they know they have more to spare.  For others, giving their possessions is one of the most difficult things they will attempt in their lives.  God calls all to live sacrificially as they “share what they have.” (Hebrews 13:16)  The difference between self-sacrificing by doing good and self-sacrificing by sharing what they have is that doing good requires a person’s heart change.  Consequently, many people are willing to give as it does not require they sacrifice themselves, just their latte on Monday.  Sacrifice is fine, just in moderation.  The obvious problem with this is that it is not much of a sacrifice at all.  A sacrifice, by definition, involves suffering (Meriam-Webster), and missing a latte can only be deemed suffering for those in proximity of the decaffeinated.  An example of self-sacrifice that is good can be found in the early Church of Acts 2:45: “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”  The Church saw everything they had; they saw people in need and made the connection that they were able to meet the needs of others through their material sacrifices.  When a believer today sees a need, they must be willing to sacrifice a second car for the summer, an extra room in their home or some money in their billfold; and they must welcome the suffering that it brings as an act of worship.
No matter the form of sacrifice, it is typically not easy.  To give sacrificially, a person must first acknowledge Him with their lips.  By doing so, they are creating the fruit which will be used as the sacrifice.  This fruit can then take one of two forms: doing good or sharing what they have.  Doing good requires the person to not only be willing to give, but to examine their heart and attitude and change so that they will be giving as a pure and living sacrifice; what is given is not as important as the heart that is behind what is given.  Lastly, for a person to give of their possessions and it to be an actual sacrifice, there needs to be suffering.  As the writer of Hebrews states, this is a continual sacrifice and a sacrifice of praise to the God who did give the believer everything, especially the sacrifice of His Son on their behalf.