In our youth Sunday school class we have been looking at practices of the church and the practice we looked at yesterday morning was the Lord's supper. As Josh and I thought about how we could teach the kids what the Lord supper was about Mel Gibson's movie the Passion of the Christ came to mind.
I remember being 15 and in high school when I saw this movie in theaters for the first time. It's crazy to think it has been almost 10 years. I think the emotion I most experienced was shock as to catching a glimpse of what Christ personally did for me. I knew he died a brutal death on the cross but I did not understand the suffering aspect of it until it was portrayed in this movie and that in return made me thankful to the core.
Josh and I realized quickly that this generation of youth were small children when it came out and had not seen this movie. We invited the kids to ask permission from their parents to view the movie with us last night. I think I was going into the movie having the mindset of "we're doing this for the kids" but as I sat and watched what Christ went through for me I experienced not only the emotion of shock of what Christ did for me but of remorse of how lightly I take His death.
We live in a world now that seems to be getting worse everyday, not only in terms of the worldly culture but in terms of the Church and Christianity moving towards complete comfort zone. WE have made it comfortable to live for Christ by just doing the expected things. Even I am guilty of picking a style of Christianity that best suits me. In today's Church the only sacrifice we feel we need to make is to wake up, go to church, pick your coffee flavor and sing to the music style at church that best suits you, maybe go above and beyond and bring your Bible. I have fallen into the trap of thinking that by simply obeying the commands of Jesus was true sacrifice. Up until last night I myself felt that I was sacrificing my life for Jesus by doing Christianity my way.
Growing up in ministry and then being on staff at a church currently has made it easy for me to confuse sacrifice with service. Going to church, studying God's word, praying, teaching and tithing are commands from God and that is my service. But sacrifice takes more than service. Sacrifice should never be comfortable. There was nothing comfortable about how Jesus suffered for me. In fact sacrifice should hurt me for it to be real sacrifice. I'm not talking physical, even though we should be ready for that. I mean hurt you in a way that you have to live by grace and faith to make it. God is saying to me "give me more, Amy". Don't settle for getting by or just being the above average Christian give Jesus more.
I want to seek to live sacrificially and not just get by! I pray that God will show me even today how I can not just serve Him but what I can give Him that may hurt me but bring glory to Him!
