How much would you say you’re sacrificing for your life of faith on a day-to-day basis?
This probably isn’t a typical discussion question with friends or family, because for many, it’s not a very comfortable conversation. Growing up, I used to think that being a Christian required a lot of sacrifice. As someone who’s definitely not a morning person, getting up early every Sunday morning for church required tons of effort. That was a sacrifice, right? Plus, I spent lots of time at countless volunteering activities and outreaches.
However, are these really the kind of sacrifices the Bible talks about? When reading about the actions of people who followed God throughout history, my ‘sacrifices’ substantially paled in comparison to how far they were willing to go for their faith. It really made me think a lot about the effort I was putting into my faith. I started to consider how God would feel when He looked at my own faith.
The Lives of Those Who Followed God in the Bible
Hebrews 11 was one particular chapter that really hit hard when I thought about sacrifice. There’s no way I could compare myself to the martyrs who gave up everything to follow God. However, one thought always came to mind. “What makes me different from them?” They also believed in God and wanted to follow Him according to His promises. So, how is it that I can live so comfortably without sacrificing like they did? It made me feel like there was something missing in the way I was carrying out my faith.
Whether in the Old or New Testament, there are so many examples of people who were chosen by God. However, none of them lived lives that we would consider a “good life”. The lives of God’s chosen people were paths filled with difficulties and sacrifices that required unchanging faith. There’s a reason why it’s called the narrow path. Those who were called and chosen by God in the Bible were despised, cursed, and persecuted. Oftentimes, they were killed for their faith.
When I looked at these examples, I tried to imagine what it would’ve been like facing those types of situations. I asked myself if I could’ve done what those people did. The answer wasn’t as clear or easy as I wanted to imagine. Even if I wanted to say that I would do anything it took to follow God, the reality is, I’m not sure how I would’ve handled those situations.
Two accounts stand out in particular: Abraham and the disciples of Jesus. Despite being familiar passages, putting myself in their shoes was a completely new experience that led to a deeper reflection on my own faith.
The Unchanging Faith of Abraham
Many people know the account of Abraham because he’s one of the more famous figures from the Old Testament. But I realized after reading more about him, that I had only ever understood his story at surface level. Even from the very beginning, Abraham’s faith was truly something amazing.
The Faith When Leaving Everything Behind
In Genesis 12, God called Abram, later changed to Abraham, to follow a command he couldn’t see the end of.
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”
Genesis 12:1
If God asked me to leave everything behind to follow him, I’m not sure what I’d do. Abraham wasn’t young at this time, so he likely would’ve had an established life in the area he was living. To leave all of that behind couldn’t have been something simple or easy. Plus, traveling to a different land at that time would have been a much more difficult task. It would’ve required much more effort compared to today’s times with all our modern transportation methods.
If God asked me to travel to a foreign country and leave everything behind, I think I would have quite a few questions and hesitations. However, Abraham did not ask any questions and simply obeyed.
So Abram left, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haram.
Genesis 12:4
God did not tell Abraham where he was going. He just said that He would show him. Abraham’s trust and faith in God was incredibly large. And this was only the start of Abraham’s great and sacrificial faith.
Faith in the Waiting
Throughout the entire account of Abraham, there are so many times when he could’ve given up and turned away from God. Even though God promised to bless him and give him many descendants (Genesis 15:4), Abraham remained childless for many years. God also made a covenant with Abraham regarding his descendants numbering the stars (Genesis 15:13-16). But this wasn’t something Abraham would experience in his own lifetime. However, Abraham still trusted and believed that God would keep His promise.
Faith during the Unimaginable Sacrifice
Even when God fulfilled His promise of giving Abraham a son through the birth of Isaac, more challenges were to come. Soon after, God tested Abraham and commanded him to sacrifice his son.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:2
I cannot imagine how Abraham would have felt at this point. This was the son whom he had waited and prayed for. He was being asked to sacrifice this child, even though this was the son God had promised to give him.
Of course, there was a greater reason for this. But even just thinking from Abraham’s perspective, it could not have been easy. Put yourself in Abraham’s position as a parent. Could you give up your child? Especially after trying and failing to have children for the majority of your life? Even for those of us who aren’t parents, we could barely begin to imagine the pain and immense distress Abraham must have been in when he received this command. But, as had done before, Abraham trusted and obeyed God. The next day he took his son and went to follow what God had commanded of him.
Faith through Anything
Looking at this account, it really shows how Abraham’s faith did not change throughout the years. He followed what God commanded, even when he was asked to give up his comfort or people he loved.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:20-21
When I think about my own faith, there are so many ups and downs. It can be so easy to fall into a spiritual slump when things don’t go well. However, the difficulties Abraham experienced did not change his faith and he was still willing to do everything for God. This is the type of faith I hope myself and everyone reading this can have.
The Sacrificial Faith of the Disciples
It wasn’t only difficult for those in the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament things and circumstances were extremely difficult for those who followed God. Nowadays, it is quite a common thing to believe in Jesus. For most people, it is not a big deal to say that we are Christian. However, this wasn’t the case at the time of the first coming of Jesus.
Faith while Giving Up Everything
During that time, the simple act of believing in Jesus was reason enough to be excommunicated from the synagogue. This basically meant being completely outcasted from society (John 9:22). Jesus himself mentioned the difficulties that the disciples would go through, even after he bore the cross.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is the reason why the world hates you.”
John 15:18-19
Jesus knew that the disciples who followed him would have to walk the same path of suffering that he did. The people at that time thought they were following God by persecuting Jesus as a heretic (John 16:2). Yet, as it was throughout history, it was the people whom God was with who were the ones that sacrificed and that went through suffering. However, when asked if the disciples wanted to leave or turn away, Peter made the bold confession: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)
The disciples were willing to make the sacrifices required of them. They continued to believe in and follow Jesus because of the word that he had. The disciples recognized that he was speaking the truth, and that the way to have faith in God was to follow Jesus (John 14:6). They showed their faith through their actions instead of simply claiming to have faith. Even though the world was against them, the disciples went out after Jesus ascended and spread the message of the gospel. And in the end, they all gave up their lives for their faith.
Unchanging Faith
The common theme throughout all of these stories is the unchanging nature of their faith. Whether it was at the time of the Old or New Testament, carrying out a life of faith was not easy. However, we can see the reason they were able to have such faith back in Hebrews 11.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
All of those who followed God and carried out an unchanging life of faith had a secure hope. They believed that God would fulfill all that He had promised. Therefore, with that hope they were able to carry on until the end. I have to admit that I cannot fully comprehend the suffering they endured, and I’m honestly not sure if I could have made the same sacrifices if I were in their shoes.
So, it makes me think about how I am carrying out my own life of faith now and if there is more that I can be doing. Even if it may be a small sacrifice, like spending more time meditating on the Word or strengthening my relationship with God, I want to confidently say that I will do it. I hope that we all can make a firm resolution moving forward. Let’s be willing to make sacrifices along the way if it means following the path that God has set before us. The people of the past have already paved the way, so now it is our turn to continue walking on it.
Written by Lily
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