Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3–4 (NLT)
Sacrifice is the act of giving something up that you value because you value something else more. While it’s an expression of the deepest level of love, it’s important to know that sacrifice has boundaries. You should never sacrifice anything that goes against the Word of God.
You’re not expected to sacrifice your marriage or your family for your church, for example. Sometimes people overdo their commitments thinking that they’re supposed to make great sacrifices for God. They say, “Well, it doesn’t matter that I’m never home. I’m serving God, so He’ll take care of my relationships.” It doesn’t work that way. It’s your job to build those relationships!
Sacrifice within any relationship also needs to be handled with wisdom. You sometimes have to give up what you want for the good of the other, but don’t be a martyr. It’s not sustainable. You’ll only build up resentment if you feel like you’re the only one doing all the giving.
Find a way to communicate how you feel. Work at making things win-win. Especially in marriage, the goal is to have both spouses giving sacrificially so both end up having their needs met. After all, Philippians 2:3–4 says we shouldn’t look out for only our own interests. In other words, God doesn’t have a problem with you looking after yourself. Just don’t only look after yourself.
Sacrifice is a beautiful thing and it will bring you great joy and fulfilment. Just do it with wisdom.
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