And "second", many of the sacrifices we make for the Lord are so badly motivated and unwise that we may come to regret them in the end. The New Testament laments the state of individuals who "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2) and who are worried and "troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41)-the "wrong "things-in their religious endeavors.
As for the first problem, let's be clear that sacrifices made out of love for our Lord are always "worth it." It will always be "reasonable" (Romans 12:1) to present ourselves to God all day, every day, and in every way as "living sacrifices"-to the death! This is because all such sacrifices are repaid by God "a hundredfold" in "this time" and "in the world to come" (Mark 10:30). No Christian has ever come to his deathbed with regrets over sacrificing too much for the glory of God.
But this problem is addressed, at least on an intellectual level, much more easily and frequently than that other question that must be raised on the topic of Christian sacrifice-the issue of exactly "what "I should be sacrificing for Christ in my life.We are comforted to know that anything offered to the Savior out of love is sure to be appreciated and rewarded, but Christianity is a faith that prizes wisdom as well. In fact, wisdom is actually commanded of us who follow Jesus (Ephesians 5:15).
Surely Martha's sacrifice and zeal to extend hospitality to Jesus was "right" on any number of levels, but Jesus did not encourage the sort of effort she was expending (Luke 10:41-42). What a shame to work so feverishly, and to sacrifice so greatly over an unnecessary and unhelpful cause.
And good King Josiah made the fatal mistake (literally) of not choosing the right battles in his life (2 Chronicles 35:20-24), failing even to recognize the guidance of the Lord when it was sent (v.22). So he actually made the "ultimate sacrifice," but he did so needlessly, even foolishly, and a very fine king was lost to his nation.
Then there is the sad case of the person in Romans 14:1-2 who has decided to become a vegetarian-to sacrifice some of the pleasures and conveniences of a well-rounded diet out of love for Christ. His case is sad because he thought his sacrifice was necessary in order to "really please the Lord." In this, however, he was mistaken, and the apostle Paul explains to all of us that he made this sacrifice needlessly, because he was "weak" (v.2). If he had been a little more mature in his Christian thinking, a little further along in his walk with the Spirit, he would not have offered this legalistic and unnecessary sacrifice.
We are warned by passages such as these to make sure that our sacrifices in the Christian life are God-appointed rather than self-appointed. Let us never refuse any sacrifice God directs us to make, but let us never offer "strange fire" to God because we presume that our ideas of a good sacrifice are on a par with His (Leviticus 10:1-2). We can only cringe when we contemplate how many Christian sacrifices must be in the process of being needlessly offered, at this very moment, on the altars of humanitarian "missions," political activism and war, ecological activism, fund-raising events for properties and projects, etc. We are compelled to admit that all sacrifices are "not "equal.
The author of "The Irresistible Revolution" (2006) seeks to persuade Christians to sacrifice all their wealth in the service of Christ. He approves of his friend's words, "We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me I had to be born again to enter the kingdom of God, I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor, because Jesus said that to one guy too...but I guess that's why God invented highlighters, so we can highlight the parts we like and ignore the rest." (p.98) The author's commentary on this is that "Jesus doesn't exclude rich people; he just lets them know their rebirth will cost them everything they have" (p.104), and "rich people can release their riches and enter the Kingdom of God." (p.181)
Similarly, a speaker at the very influential Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization (1989) suggested that the Muslim world has not converted to Christianity because too few Christians have sacrificed their lives in attempting an open and public witness for Christ. "Is it conceivable that Christianity's failure to thrive in the Muslim world is due to the notable absence of Christian martyrs? And can the Muslim community take seriously the claims of a Church in hiding? (The many recent accounts of Muslims coming to repentance through rather supernatural means should remind us that God does not require our martyrdom to bring conviction to Muslim individuals.)"
In both of these examples we find an appeal for radical sacrifice that cannot be easily reconciled with Scripture. Jesus' wealthy friends-Mary, Martha and Lazarus, John-Mark's mother, etc.-did not, as far as we know, redistribute their wealth. And Paul told the wealthy believers in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 not to redistribute their wealth, but to have the right attitude toward "God who "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (v.17).
Even the apostle Paul, who was very "willing "to sacrifice his life in martyrdom, actually fled for his life to avoid martyrdom at Damascus (Acts 9:23), Jerusalem (Acts 9:28), Antioch (Acts 14:6), Thessalonica (Acts 17:10), Berea (Acts 17:14), and Ephesus (Acts 19:30). To have done otherwise would have constituted a "needless" sacrifice.
In Christian warfare, as with any other warfare, some patriots are called to the front lines, others receive orders far removed from the heat of battle, still others are expected to remain at home in factories and on farms. Some who dream of being chosen for special forces end up with desk jobs. Some who hoped to avoid battle end up with medals of valor or with twenty-one gun salutes. But the place of service, and the kind of duty to be carried out is for the King to decide, not the patriot himself.
To volunteer for the hero's role in God's service is noble and appropriate. It is very definitely our "reasonable service." But the Holy Spirit hands down very personalized orders for each of us. His is not a one-size-fits-all calling, and self-prescribed orders in this conflict are foolish and unacceptable.
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