Check your motives at the door

Sometimes we have to put ourselves aside.

We all make sacrifices for our lives and the directions we have.

Going to college, you sacrifice money and time.

When you have kids you sacrifice time, money, sleep, happiness, personal gratification and patience to name a few.

These are just a couple of things we make sacrifices for.

What are some other things you make sacrifices for?

The beautiful thing about sacrifice is there is something in return.

For school, you are able to get a degree and hopefully become financially stable or a job you like.

For kids, there is nothing that can give you a greater joy then having two kids yell at the top of their lungs, "DADDY!!!!!!!!!" and come at you when you come home.

This past couple of days was spent getting ready for school. I had four books to finish up reading before going to class.

This meant I had to sacrifice spending time with our family and mowing the lawn which would need to be done.

It sucks to spend the majority of Sunday and Memorial day reading books, but that was I have to sacrifice when going back to school.

I told an elder about what was going on and how I didn't think I would get to move the lawn before I left for class. He showed concern, but I didn't think much of it then telling him and praying at the end of the Sunday School class.

At about 6 p.m. that night I was on the couch working, Hailee was doing something and our kids were watching a movie when a truck pulled up with a lawn mower.

It was Chadd Beard, the elder we talked too.

Hailee and I were cracking up.

He got down and mowed our lawn while Hailee watched the kids and I worked on papers.

It was amazing that he would sacrifice his family time to mow our lawn.

There is something about sacrifice.

Jesus talks about sacrifice when answering someone about following him then to one of his disciples who wanted to go back home.

Matthew 8 verse 20 and 22 have are the responses…

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head….But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

The first response is to a guy that blurts out he will follow Jesus.

He answers him that you don't understand the sacrifice you are making.

Then a guy wants to go home to be by his father side as he dies, this is so he can get an inheritance then he would come back.

There are sacrifices we all make.

Are they worth it?

This week I am gone to school, I leave a nine month pregnant wife with two kids to chase around.

It won't be easy for them and I pray that we don't have a baby this week!

This is a sacrifice I am glad to make to make be a better minister.

The class is Change and Conflict Management, this class will aid me in an area I am pretty weak in.

It's a sacrifice, but one that will be great for the Church I serve in and me personally.

Are the sacrifices you make worth it?

If not, what could you change?

Have a great day.