Extravagant Self-Sacrifice

 

“It is not a moral life that the gospel promotes –

 it is a life of extravagant self-sacrifice.”

 

These words have been resonating in my soul for over a week now. They were spoken at a conference I attended by Revd Dr John Dickson, who is an extraordinary communicator and the co-founder for Public centre for Christianity.

Extravagant self-sacrifice.

The word extravagant is defined as “exceeding reasonable bounds” and “extremely abundant.”

Responding to this call means that the gospel challenges us to sacrifice ourselves beyond what reason dictates as being normal and to do it abundantly.

A story that moved my heart this week was when I was having coffee with my friend, Renee, and she told me of a friend of hers who had experienced this extravagant self-sacrifice in such an amazing way that he knew it could only be the love of God and so gave his life to the Lord.

Renee told me that her friend was drawn to church one day in a state of hopelessness. He had lost everything he owned and had found himself homeless and lost as to what to do. When visiting this church, he shared with another man his state of despair and loss of hope. Responding in empathy, the man of God turned to Renee’s homeless friend and said “Take my home.”

Stunned and unsure as to how to respond, he looked at the man. “Pardon?”

“Take my home. God will provide for me and you are in need. Take my home and I will find somewhere else.”

This man was so moved by the extravagant self-sacrifice of this Christian man, he knew it could only by the love of God that would enable someone to give up their home and life as they know it for someone else.

Extravagant self-sacrifice.

This is what Jesus gave us. He saw us in despair, lost and in a pit of darkness. He had pity on us and he came to earth and said – Take my life.

Take my life for you are in need of hope. Take my life for you are in need of rescue. Take my life for you are in need of being saved.

It is the pure love of God that elicits extravagant self-sacrifice. And it is extravagant self-sacrifice that draws people to the pure  love of God.

The gospel does not ask us to live a good life. It does not ask us to live a moral life. It asks us to live a life of love….and extravagant self-sacrifice.