Easter: A Time to Show Sacrificial Love
by Abel Pomar
March 17, 2016
I don’t know about you, but I’m more likely to understand something if you show me rather tell me about it. And as Easter approaches, I realize that it’s a perfect opportunity to put this into practice. It’s a time that you and I can show the people in our lives what God’s love looks like. The options are endless. And the impact can be eternal.
Here’s an example. Easter is the culmination of the message of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave.” And his sacrificial giving of his one and only Son demonstrated to everyone the extent of his great love.
So this Easter season, what if you had a brainstorming conversation over a meal with your family or mission team members about ways that you could give sacrificially to the people you’re called to serve? Maybe it’s providing food or clothes or shoes to people you know who can’t afford those essentials. Maybe it’s giving your bicycle or even your car to someone who needs transportation. Maybe you buy a ticket for someone who can’t afford the airfare to go see a loved one.
Instead of giving something, maybe your preference is to give by loving your neighbor as yourself. We all have neighbors who need help. Perhaps it’s caring for an older parent. Or planting the crops in their field or garden. Or building a shed. Coming alongside with no-strings-attached helps demonstrate a kind of love that’s hard for those who receive it to ignore.
Do you know someone who just welcomed a new baby or adopted child to the family? Your family or team members could all pitch in to open a savings account for the new addition. You could also buy him or her a share of stock. Friends did both of these for our sons. That share of stock, by the way, is eight shares today, so it became an early lesson on investing.
This month, we get to celebrate the greatest gift ever given. What better way to say thank you for that gift than by helping others understand what it’s all about through your sacrificial gifts to them.
Here’s an example. Easter is the culmination of the message of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave.” And his sacrificial giving of his one and only Son demonstrated to everyone the extent of his great love.
So this Easter season, what if you had a brainstorming conversation over a meal with your family or mission team members about ways that you could give sacrificially to the people you’re called to serve? Maybe it’s providing food or clothes or shoes to people you know who can’t afford those essentials. Maybe it’s giving your bicycle or even your car to someone who needs transportation. Maybe you buy a ticket for someone who can’t afford the airfare to go see a loved one.
Instead of giving something, maybe your preference is to give by loving your neighbor as yourself. We all have neighbors who need help. Perhaps it’s caring for an older parent. Or planting the crops in their field or garden. Or building a shed. Coming alongside with no-strings-attached helps demonstrate a kind of love that’s hard for those who receive it to ignore.
Do you know someone who just welcomed a new baby or adopted child to the family? Your family or team members could all pitch in to open a savings account for the new addition. You could also buy him or her a share of stock. Friends did both of these for our sons. That share of stock, by the way, is eight shares today, so it became an early lesson on investing.
This month, we get to celebrate the greatest gift ever given. What better way to say thank you for that gift than by helping others understand what it’s all about through your sacrificial gifts to them.
