Love is Sacrificial

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4  

When we think of love, we usually think of the benefits it can give us- much like a craving. We crave something because we are thinking of how it will satisfy our desire. What happens to you when freshly baked brownies come out of the oven? At least for me I start imagining biting into it and how satisfying it will be with its decadent chocolate flavor and warm, gooey texture. In that moment I am really only thinking about how it will satisfy me. There is a quote from David Yount in his book Spiritual Simplicity that says “love begins when we move beyond the borders of craving into the realm of appreciation.”

God doesn’t desire for us to crave, he desires us to love. Instead of thinking of how that brownie will satisfy you, God desires for you to share the brownie. To recognize the brownie is just food, but relationships are more important. God wants us to understand the worth of something like a marriage and friendships because it is a representation of how he loves us and the commitment and sacrifice it takes to do so. First and foremost your relationship with Him and secondly with others. But this way of thinking comes with sacrifice. When your love is more from a posture of giving instead of receiving you might not get to eat the brownie until you have served them all out and at which point the brownie is now cold- or even worse, you might not get to eat a brownie at all because you had just enough for everyone else.

Biblical love is always measured in increments of sacrifice. Just as God sacrificed His Son on the cross, we are to sacrifice our lives for the one who gave us life. The irony with sacrifice is that we see it as a negative thing, but God in His love knows that self-forgetfulness brings us freedom. When we serve others and sacrifice our lives we are drawn outward and are filled with true love. 

Questions to Ponder: 

1. Is your love stemming from a craving (needing something from someone or something) or from true sacrificial love?

2. When was the last time you sacrificed your own comfort or desire to serve God or care for someone else?

Today’s Reading:

Philippians 2:1-18