We are all living sacrifices…for something or someone…for good or evil!!
Some live life sacrificing for money; some for drugs and alcohol; some for reputation; some for self-gratification, etc. Most dedicated mother’s sacrifice for their family.
My husband recently shared a verse with me that put the “rubber on the road” in my understanding of sacrificial living!
II Chronicles 12:14 says, “He did evil because
he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord”.
My idea of evil is unlimited in its ability to fill my imagination with what I see, hear and read in our frazzled culture today!
In the light of God’s definition of evil, what are we really living for?
Are we shortsighted, committed to doing our own thing
or worse yet, doing His will but on our own terms!?
According to this verse, evil is defined as not setting our hearts on pleasing Godand His purpose for our life; not seeking the Lord, first and always. All other pursuits are considered evil from God’s point of view!
So… I asked myself…
In my life quest, I consider my pursuits sacrificial but
am I actively setting my heart on seeking Him first in every endeavor?”
Isa. 50:11 promises us needless defeat and suffering
when we “light our own torches to do our own thing”.
As busy moms and grandmas, how often do we look for God’s purpose when we are being consumed by a whirlwind of activity all around us? We are teachers, comforters, taxis, counselors, nurses… you fill in the blank!
“All believers’ walk-in darkness”. Isa. 50:10andThis means we are all shortsighted and blind to the immediate future. We tend to sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate. By setting our hearts on pleasing God and having his purpose first in our life, we find sacrificial living fulfilling, understanding that “all things work together for those who “set their heart on seeking God”and are called according to his purpose”.
Are we too busy in our “life of urgency”
to look for God’s purpose in our next interruption?
Is it a mute point when we are fractured with wrong attitudes
and responses because we are being inconvenienced?
“I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…”
Can He listen to you?
What do you set your heart on?
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
