Call for Sacrifice

Increasingly over the last few years, I've noticed a call for sacrifice. It started with the federal government calling me to sacrifice my income in the form of taxes for those who don't work. They've also asked me to sacrifice my freedoms in the name of security. 

Those aren't the sacrifices I'm talking about. Those are but mere annoyances. The ones I'm talking about take on a much larger scale.

In the political world, the sacrifice could be one's personal freedom or life. As the famous quote goes....

The founding fathers put everything on the line when they declared independence from England. They knew that they may never see freedom in their lifetime, but went ahead and fought anyway.  We've witnessed twice in Egypt them taking control of their government. Both times, no guarantees of the outcome. 

But we do nothing but complain to each other.

The other sacrifice I'm talking about is the one for God. Am I (or are you) willing to leave all that I have behind to follow Him? 

Ever heard about the trials of the pilgrims? They had to meet in secret because not belonging to the Church of England was treasonous. They sold everything they had in hopes to afford a boat ride to the Netherlands. They were jailed. Families were separated for over a year. This was before the trip on the Mayflower, which they had to leave half of their church family behind to go. 

What about the Iranian pastor, Youcef Nadarkhadi? He was sentenced to death for his belief. 

So, I've been asking myself, am I really ready to sacrifice what is needed? Am I willing to leave my comfort to fight for what is right? Could I leave my family and friends behind? Can I survive with only the clothes on back? Am I willing to sit in jail for the rest of my life? Can I be reckless?

So as I ponder these questions, I am reminded of this song that written because of the Iranian pastor.

Do you have a call for sacrifice?