Making Sacrificed With Joy  

I heard a story once about two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, who traveled with a group that was going around the world. As they were visiting in Korea, they saw by the side of the road, a field in which a boy was pulling a crude plow and an old man held the plow handles and guided it. The lawyer was amused and took a snapshot of the scene.

He turned to the missionary, who served as their interpreter and guide, and he said, "That's a curious picture. I suppose they are very poor."

The guide replied, "Yes, that’s the family of Chi Noue. When the place of worship was being built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring, they’re pulling the plow themselves."

The men were silent for several moments. Then the businessman replied, "That must have been a real sacrifice."

The guide said, "They don’t call it that. They thought it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell."

This story brings to mind a parable Jesus told: " The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.."    ( Matt. 13:44 )

Notice carefully the words " from joy."  This man doesn't just sell everything he has; he does so with joy. He doesn't regret it. He doesn't complain about the sacrifice he has to make.  In fact, he probably doesn't even consider it to be a sacrifice. He gives a lot for the field, but he gets so much more in return.

When we contemplate our mothers we are able to comprehend just that kind of sacrificial love, but it was not given anticipating a return on investment.  Our moms gave whatever they could to us without considering the cost to themselves, without regret and without counting it as a sacrifice.  Most of us went through childhood taking their sacrifices for granted because it was so much a part of Mom’s character it would’ve been abnormal for her not to have done so. 

The same thing should hold true in our walk with Christ.  Sacrifices will be necessary, and only a deep love for God and for His Christ will make them a joy.  The real test of our commitment is not so much whether we’re willing to make sacrifices for our Lord, but whether we’re able to make those sacrifices with joy, grateful to be able to do so.