Tag Archives: sacrifice

Nothing You Can Do

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Try as we might
we can never
get rid of
what’s wrong:
what we’ve done,
said,
thought,
not done…

We try,
we strive,
but they remain,
the scars are visible,
the debris piles up,
the effects rumble on.

The only one
who can make a difference
is Christ.

He offers,
not just a fresh start,
a clean slate,
but a whole new way to be:
we will know
and understand
his ways,
get it
and realise how to live.
Our hearts will be changed
God will forget
what we did before,
we will be starting again.

Jesus has done it!
There’s nothing more
for us to do,
except cling to his way,
live it out
in the way he has shown us.
Hold on to him
an to one another
together
we will make it through
with him.

Hebrews 10:11-25 (CEV)

11 The priests do their work each day, and they keep on offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God’s right side, 13 and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. 14 By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.

15 The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said,

16 “When the time comes,
I will make an agreement
    with them.
I will write my laws
    on their minds and hearts.
17 Then I will forget
    about their sins
and no longer remember
    their evil deeds.”

18 When sins are forgiven, there is no more need to offer sacrifices.

Encouragement and Warning

19 My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place 20 by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.

21 We have a great high priest who is in charge of God’s house. 22 So let’s come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let’s keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. 24 We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things. 25 Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.

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All About Me

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It’s all about me,
what I can get,
what I want,
how far I can get –
what’s in it for me?

You called me
and I came,
but now I want more.

I want some guarantees,
some certainty
that what I have given up will be worth it,
and yes,
if I’m honest,
a little bit of glory,
some respect,
recognition,
people to know
how important I am to you.

But that’s not how it works.
I sit alongside you
by doing as you do,
sharing in your life and work,
it’s about giving,
not getting
and I’ve missed that point.

Forgive me Lord,
when I have got it wrong;
looked at results
not actions;
when I have worried about me
not you and your way;
when all I have done
has been about being seen,
noticed,
valued
and praised,
not sacrifice
and giving.

Lord teach me the way of giving
for I long to work with you,
to live for you
and work alongside you
may that be my sole motivation.

May I drink the cup you drink.

Let is not be all about me,
but all about you
and those you call me to serve

Mark 10:35-45 (CEV)

The Request of James and John

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, will you do us a favor?”

36 Jesus asked them what they wanted, 37 and they answered, “When you come into your glory, please let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.”

38 Jesus told them, “You don’t really know what you’re asking! Are you able to drink from the cup that I must soon drink from or be baptized as I must be baptized?”

39 “Yes, we are!” James and John answered.

Then Jesus replied, “You certainly will drink from the cup from which I must drink. And you will be baptized just as I must! 40 But it isn’t for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for God to decide.”

41 When the ten other disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John. 42 But Jesus called the disciples together and said:

You know that those foreigners who call themselves kings like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over the people they rule. 43 But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 44 And if you want to be first, you must be everyone’s slave. 45 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.

Sacrifice not Self-Seeking

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Such concern
about who is the best,
the greatest,
the most important;
which one
deserves most praise
and glory.

How can this be the focus
in the presence of you?
The one who truly is
the Great One.

Such failure to grasp
what this is all about,
what really matters.

This is not about getting,
but giving.
The concern
should be living
and loving.

Until we get that,
the cross is an anathema,
a mystery,
incomprehensible.

When we get it,
we see what giving
and serving truly are.

Lord,
may I seek the way of love
and sacrifice,
not glory
and the appreciation
of those around me.

May I live your way.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Mark 9:30-37 (CEV)

Jesus Again Speaks about His Death

30 Jesus left with his disciples and started through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know about it, 31 because he was teaching the disciples that the Son of Man would be handed over to people who would kill him. But three days later he would rise to life. 32 The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.

Who Is the Greatest?

33 Jesus and his disciples went to his home in Capernaum. After they were inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about along the way?” 34 They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, and so they did not answer.

35 After Jesus sat down and told the twelve disciples to gather around him, he said, “If you want the place of honor, you must become a slave and serve others!”

36 Then Jesus had a child stand near him. He put his arm around the child and said, 37 “When you welcome even a child because of me, you welcome me. And when you welcome me, you welcome the one who sent me.”