Matthew 26:39 tells us Jesus did not want to go to the cross. He asks for the bitter cup to pass. So, we see Jesus in His humanity. Yet, He sacrifices His life for us out of LOVE for our Father God and for US!
Lest not we forget ALL that Jesus did for US. Even so, when God asks us to do things we do not want to do we override what God is asking. Therefore, we do what we want to do. We say we love God and everything that Jesus did for us, but we do not want to sacrifice.
Sacrifice means the surrender of something we want. Love causes most of us to surrender and sacrifice what we want. If we find ourselves constantly resisting what God is asking us to do, it is representative of us having issues with sacrifice.
Satan often deceives us. He will have us look at the good things we do in our lives. Moreover, if those good things did not cost us something of value like time, money, patience, etc., sacrifice was not involved.
If we do good works out of convenience and it suits our needs and feeds our flesh, these are works that will burn. According to the Bible, they are shallow, worthless, and selfish (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). Sacrifice involves us allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us into doing the things God is asking us to do.
In this Easter season, let us remember the sacrifices Jesus made for us. When Jesus said, “Follow Me”, that means in everything including sacrifices we have to make. It is through Christ that we can make these sacrifices we do not want to do. It is surrendering our will to the will of God (Matthew 36:39). Amen. Love & Blessings!