"And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29). Christ makes reference to three spheres of sacrifice in this passage — land, luxury and loved ones. Abraham in his life made such sacrifices.
First of all, God asked Abraham to leave his native land. "Get thee out of thy country" (Genesis 12:1). God does not reveal to Abraham the specific land to which he had been called. He merely said to get out of your country. That call likewise goes forth today to all men and women this whole world over. He is calling people to meet the need in lands where the Gospel has not yet been proclaimed. God's call is "unto a land that I will show thee" (Genesis 12:1).
The reason men and women are not receiving God's call to needy lands of the world is that surrender has not manifested itself. Too many, as one writer has well stated, "want to know God's will, not to do it but only to consider it."God leads from an entirely different basis. He says, "Go ye," and then, "I am with you" (Matthew 28:19-20).
In this call to forsake his land, there was also the call to forsake his luxury. From all scriptural indication, Abraham was a wealthy man. Even with the greatest possibilities in a new land, one does not readily leave an established, peaceful life to confront the hardships and heaviness of beginning anew. Sacrifices of those answering God's call to the whitened harvest "fields" (John 4:35-36) require leaving the normal pattern of life in order to engage in new responsibilities.
The Lord mentions that to love those who are closest to you more than God, makes one unworthy of His divine love (Matthew 10:37). Following Christ entails the highest love of which man is capable. Abraham receives the call not only to leave his land and luxury, but also to leave his loved ones. "Get thee out… from thy kindred" (Genesis 12:1).
God always calls us, regardless of the difficulty, to that which will work out for our own benefit. Abraham was told to leave all others behind, but he compromised by taking his nephew, Lot, with him. This compromise caused much needless hardship later in life. The difficulty between the servants of each household, the capture of Lot by an enemy and the spiritual dearth of his nephew while in Sodom, bought heavy sorrow. Such are the lessons which we do well to consider carefully for ourselves.
In this matter, God again tested Abraham by calling him to sacrifice a most dear loved one. Having learned the results of compromise, he fulfilled God's desire by offering his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. In all areas of life, Abraham sacrificed the very best that he possessed and rightly earned a worthy distinction when God identified him as "Abraham My Friend" (Isaiah 41:8).
The outlook of believers with regard to sacrifice is often misconstrued. The first error is the fact that many people think sacrifice is solely for the preacher or the missionary. Sacrifice is for each and every one of us! "I beseech you therefore… that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
Another mistake involves pity for the person who makes such sacrifices. If anything, there should be admiration for the courage and commitment a person accepts when trusting God's call. Many step out in faith to span the oceans of doubt and fear in order to accomplish the impossible for God. Our outlook toward them should be one of success – the fulfillment of the promise that they reap "an hundredfold" (Matthew 19:29).
Lastly, those who actually sacrifice sometimes have a wrong outlook. It must be remembered that sacrifice is not made unto men but unto God. Christ spoke of leaving persons and things "for My Name's sake" (Matthew 19:29). Making sacrifice to man gives only man's reward. Making sacrifice to Christ brings Christ's reward.
May we, who know His love in supreme sacrifice, make known our love to God by our reasonable sacrifice. May we strive to have the same intimate relationship that Abraham had with God in order that we, too, may be called His friends!
Leon Chechowich,
SMS International Field Coordinator
