Sacrifice and Love

Matthew 5:23-24

We often hear of people who sacrifice for others and causes.  Yet, if they’re not doing it with love, it’s not actually a sacrifice.  Love for others, as well as God, is not about a rote memorization or empty ritual.  It is about intentional love towards others, who are our own brothers and sisters whom God created.  

Questions for further thought:
1. Are there things we do now, that we think are sacrificial but may not be in the way we intend?

2. In sacrificing our time and efforts, do we show love first towards those for whom we’re making that effort? 

Challenge: God never has accepted “empty sacrifices” and we shouldn’t offer any either. We should show love first to God and our fellow man, as the first is our Father and the second are His children.  Anything we do for either should first have love as the goal, then the sacrifice of time and effort is actually pleasing to God.