Tucking the cash neatly into the white envelope, I questioned whether I was doing the right thing. I wasn’t sure I had enough even to pay my bills, let alone help a friend in need who was struggling with paying their mortgage. I knew God was calling me to make this sacrifice for these friends.

My husband and I had received help many times throughout the years, so it was only fair that we help someone else even if we weren’t sure how we would pay our bills. God had blessed us with some extra money that month, and we wanted to give that gift to others who needed it.

In Mark 12:41-44, the widow puts two coins into the treasury. It wasn’t just two coins; it was her last two coins. As a widow, I’m sure she struggled with whether she could make ends meet that month. Without any help from a spouse, she had no way of knowing whether she would have the money she needed to provide for her own needs, let alone offer her last coins. Yet, Jesus saw that as great worth because he knew she wasn’t just giving out of a spirit of generosity; she was giving out of a spirit of sacrifice.

Sacrifice is not something commonly spoken about in Christian circles. The current church model can sometimes feed into a culture of consuming rather than giving. New believers stroll into the newly painted sanctuary, grab a cup of gourmet coffee, place their kids in a state-of-the-art children’s room, and sit in a newly renovated sanctuary to receive a word from the pastor or listen to some new songs that tickle their ears.

However, little is discussed regarding sacrificing their lives for others. Leaders assure new believers that they don’t even have to give any money if they are new and visiting the church. However, I believe that God would invite even the newest believer to the congregation into an invitation to give sacrificially.

God would invite even the newest believer to the congregation into an invitation to give sacrificially.

Sacrifice goes against human nature. We were born into sin, and our tendency to sin feeds our selfishness. It also goes against our nature to be selfless and give to others. Christ showed us the example of sacrifice when he gave up his life with unconditional love. Sometimes, we find it difficult to sacrifice what we have to benefit another person.

Sacrifice doesn’t have to be foreign to us. Even if we don’t have a huge lump sum of money to give to a local church or to help a nonprofit organization, there are ways we can learn and appreciate the gift of sacrifice. Here are some ways we can demonstrate sacrifice and make it a part of our everyday lives:  

Time

Not everyone has money to give, but everyone has some time to give. We all have the same amount of time each day. It’s how we divide it and how we spend it that counts. Consider what you do with your free time. Do you spend your time in front of a television or computer? Do you give yourself the time you need to give to others?

Just as we tithe our income to a local church body, we can also tithe our time to them. We can serve in an area of the church that needs help. We can also help our community. We can take our time at the local food bank, serve in the food kitchen, or start a new service in our community. You may be surprised how little time it takes to make a difference in our community and the world.

Resources

If we tithe our time, we can also give our resources. Take some time and go through your home. How many items have you collected that you barely use? Buy some organization totes at your local department store. Fill the totes with unused items that could be donated to others in need. Do you need all the books on your bookshelf? You can give 3/4 of your clothes away and still have plenty to use for the year. You may be surprised how many items you’ve collected that you don’t use and wouldn’t miss if you gave them away.

Skills

As Christians, one of our main objectives in spreading the gospel is making disciples who help us do the work. It is not up to the leadership of your local church body to do all the discipleship making. In what ways can you lead a person to become more like Christ? Perhaps you can mentor a youth in your church. Buy a book and volunteer to go through it weekly with two other friends. Teach them what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

Do you have another talent that you’d like to teach others? Perhaps you know how to play a musical instrument. Is there someone you know who wants to learn to play a particular instrument? Are there other life skills you feel someone lacks that you could help them achieve?

It can be as easy as doing a craft or as complicated as teaching a life skill. Regardless of what it is, sacrifice your skills to benefit someone else. Do this with no strings attached. Do not receive payment for your time. Instead, do it as a favor to help someone else’s life.

Sacrifice is not an easy idea to adopt. But by observing the suggestions above, you can learn what it means to sacrifice daily. In doing so, you will demonstrate Christ’s example to the world around you.