Sacrifice and Love

Genesis Chapter 44:16, 27-34

 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”

 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.  One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.  If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’

 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.  How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

 Could you make the decision to sacrifice yourself for love’s sake?

In this scripture, Judah had decided to sacrifice himself to save his brother from an uncertain fate. His brother Benjamin was being accused of a crime he had not committed, and he and his brothers were suffering a huge amount of guilt because they believed that God was punishing them for selling their brother Joseph into slavery and lying to their father Jacob about his death.

When we lie to ourselves, we deny the truth to ourselves in God’s presence. God will forgive anyone willing to confess their sins and those who are willing to repent, but he cannot help anyone who refuses to acknowledge the truth about their actions. They will always live in the darkness because the darkness will blind their hearts and minds.

Judah spoke for himself and for the other brothers because they could no longer hide their sin, and because they wanted to atone for that sin by saving their brother Benjamin from slavery, the very thing that they refused to do for their brother Joseph.

Belief in ourselves is a positive thing only when it is nurtured and balanced by the love of the Holy Spirit in your hearts. We cannot save ourselves from our sins, and many will die and go to hell because they believe that they know better than the God who created them.

How can we save ourselves from an untimely death and a frightful existence in the darkness forever separated from the presence of the Lord? First, we must be willing to confess our sins and be sorrowful of that sin's influence in our lives. We must be willing to believe that our human nature can never be changed or perfected without the Lord, who loves us so much.

Secondly, we must be willing to accept God’s gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. He died on a cross for all of our sins. He suffered great pain and the accusations of sin, a man who never sinned and who was unjustly executed for His so called crimes. In humility and in gratitude, we all must come to the feet of the cross and ask for forgiveness for every unrighteous thing that we have said and done.

And finally, we must confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and then ask Jesus to come into our hearts. Those simple words will transform your heart and mind - you will be a new person on the inside, which you will show to the world on the outside. The Lord Jesus wants to be a part of our lives, He wants us to live for Him and not just for ourselves. Living just for yourself leads down to a path of death and destruction. He loves us so much and He wants us to live in His presence forever and ever…

Prayer of salvation

Dear Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in need of redemption and salvation. I am so sorry for all of my sins. Please Lord Jesus, come into my heart right now so that I will be saved. I give you my life, my heart, and soul. Thank you Lord, for your love and forgiveness....Hallelujah!