Spiritual guidance powered by AI and grounded in Scripture
Your Question:
How do we choose between love and sacrifice in the midst of chaos?
Answer:
As a pastor and a husband, I've had to grapple with this question many times. When it comes to choosing between love and sacrifice, I believe that sacrifice is an essential aspect of love. Jesus himself said that the greatest love is to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13). This means that love is not just about feeling emotions, but about being willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of others. In my own life, I've seen this play out in my relationship with my wife, Susan. When we were first married, we had to make sacrifices for each other, putting our needs second to our desire to build a life together. And as our children grew older, we had to make sacrifices for them as well, putting their needs and desires ahead of our own. It wasn't always easy, but it was worth it to see them grow and thrive. And as a pastor, I've seen this same dynamic play out in the lives of my congregation, where people are willing to sacrifice for one another in order to build a stronger community. But sacrifice isn't just about grand, heroic acts. It's also about the small, everyday choices we make to put others first. It's about being willing to listen to our children when they need us, even when we're tired or busy. It's about being willing to forgive our spouse when they hurt us, even when it's hard. It's about being willing to serve others, even when it's not convenient or easy. When we make these kinds of sacrifices, we're not just showing love to others, we're also showing love to God, who sacrificed his own Son for us. And that's the greatest love of all.
Sources:
introduction biblical ethics
robertson mcquilkin
the war on children
john macarthur
meaning of marriage
timothy keller
my utmost for his highest
oswald chambers
1 corinthians
thomas schreiner
depression
edward welch
job
francis andersen
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