What does it mean to sacrifice ourselves to God? I have a number of discussions with unbelievers. I hear a lot of interesting comments. The other day someone told me, "I can never go to church. They believe that you should walk around with your head hanging down. You guys think happiness is a sin." I have been told that all Christianity does is give people a reason to feel guilty about themselves. I hear many, many comments about how we as Christians wallow in guilt and self inflicted misery. The irony is that I never live with guilt and they always seem so unhappy to me. I can talk to a person who says they have been considering suicide and they will point at my faith and say how miserable it makes Christians feel. But often times they are drawing their conclusions from encounters with miserable Christians. I spent some time on the internet the other night reading testimonials of people who have ‘escaped’ from religion and have become atheist or agnostics. As I read, common patters continued to emerge. It is clear to me that a disturbing number of church goers never understand the Christian life. As I become introduced to Christians from different areas, I often wonder, does anyone understand this life in Christ? I have only met a handful of Christians that I would say really get the picture of what kind of life we really have in Christ.

I see 3 types of ideologies in Christian circles. The legalist, the liberalist and the follower of Christ. Each group tries to follow Christ, but only those who understand grace fully will ever achieve that goal. The legalist tries to please god by walking the tightrope of rules and requirements. They are the ones who condemn anyone who does not do as they do. They are in every church and mean well, but they destroy grace. I have heard condemnations that baffle the mind. I heard one man say that having a beard is sin and a woman cutting her hair is sin and will receive damnation. They adhere to strict self-sacrifices and drive out those who don’t. I could write a book on the different condemnations I have been smacked with or have seen others hammered with. To be a legalist, you have to read the bible with one eye closed. The bible clearly condemns this type of judgement and Jesus put the legalistic leaders to shame on countless occasions. Jesus said several times that their rules were not what justified them but God requires mercy and NOT sacrifice. It is our hearts that He wants. You can live by every rule put before you and not have a heart that pleases God. It is restraint out of a desire for God that is important. Christianity is not mere religion. To commit to live the life of a Christian is something we do because of the desire to get to know God. Our need for self-discipline should come from an internal desire to draw closer to God. That discipline in itself does not draw us to God, but discipline removes obstacles that prevent us from abiding in God and give us the opportunity to grow closer to Him. Our heart for God must be the driving force. Otherwise discipline will become legalism. A close intimate walk with Christ is not possible without self-discipline, but discipline itself does not give us that close walk. It is our heart for Him. He must be our focus, not our achieved disciplines.

The opposite extreme is the liberalist. Look at Galatians 5:1:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

We are set free from the bondage of sin and the law. The yoke of bondage, I believe, is committing ourselves back to the law and basing our faith on keeping rules and doing the right works. We can’t be justified by our works or by conforming to a set of rules. Liberty is realizing that we are indeed free in Christ. Liberalism is watering down that freedom to the point where we loose focus on Christ. Look at Galatians 5:13,

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Liberty becomes liberalism at the point we submit ourselves back to our fleshly nature. At that point we begin to loose focus on Christ and begin to submit ourselves to our old desires and sinful way of life.

Understanding God’s design for Christian living is the key to living a balanced life. Rules cannot keep your heart at peace. Trying to govern your life by a list of rules only leads to an oppressive lifestyle. A life of liberty will only work if there are internal restraints that create a desire to do what is right.

The reason many Christians are not living fulfilled lives is because they do not understand the love of God and how He deals with us through our heart, not through regulations and outward appearances of piety. The bible gives us the disciplines that should guide our lives, I think it is extremely important that we understand why we implement these disciplines. To have knowledge of the bible without understanding leads people to oppress themselves and others with legalistic style requirements. To abandon these disciplines in the name of liberty leads people to excessiveness and draws them away from God’s plan.

Understanding is the key. Look at James 4:4,

Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The first principle is to understand that the world is not your friend. Second you must realize that God is your friend. All the commands in the bible serve only one purpose – to give you a life that allows you to be close to God. The world is a mirage of happiness. It is not the real thing. People spend their entire lives chasing the hope of happiness and fulfillment and never find it outside of Him. Satan’s only mission is to lure you into the search for hidden treasures. He does not have treasures, but he presents a beautiful picture. The world is superficial. It promises that just one more step, or one more accomplishment, or one more gratification will satisfy. But it never satisfies. It only leaves you with a stronger desire to take another shot at the gamble in hopes that this will be the time. It isn’t there. It doesn’t exist. The world will never make good on its promise of satisfaction. If it could, the world could quit searching for that hidden treasure.

But Isaiah 55 says, "Ho, everyone who thirsts, let him come to the waters, and you who have no money come and by and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread and your wages on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance."

Satisfaction belongs to God. Psalm 16:11 says, "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." We can fall into the trap of thinking that God’s plan only brings joy in heaven, but the bible clearly teaches that we should be fulfilled here as well. We don’t experience that joy because we don’t trust God with our lives and so we never find it. When we abandon the world we are not leaving pleasures behind, we are leaving behind the shadows that lure us toward what we hope will be pleasures. Living in sin does offer some temporary pleasure, but it never satisfies. I lived ungodly before coming to Christ, I lived as a worldly Christian after coming to Christ. I have never felt satisfied after fulfilling my sinful desires. I always felt empty and unfulfilled.

God asks us to follow him and leave the superficial behind and reach for true riches. The greatest riches are found in Him. Joy does not come from material wealth. Joy and fulfillment come from following Christ and are not lost when our outward circumstances challenge us. The greatest treasure you can find is when you understand the love of God for you as an individual. When you can bring your relationship with God to a personal level and love God and allow God to show His love to you, it is then that you understand fulfillment. You are not leaving life behind, you are leaving behind that which is worthless and reaching for what is priceless.

To do this we must understand God’s commands. 1 John 5:3 says, "for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." Loving God is keeping His commandments, not from obligation, but from the heart. You can keep commandments without pleasing God. God isn’t pleased when we force ourselves to keep His commands. He is pleased when we obey out of our own liberty. When we keep His word for the purpose of drawing ourselves closer to Him. The purpose of commands are to lead. God understands us and He knows what it takes for us to draw close to Him. The commands He gives are not listed as a bunch of do’s and don’t’s. They are designed for us to willingly choose Him. When we desire Him, we align our lives to His will. We can’t have a relationship with God and head off in another direction. God desires for us to choose to love Him. If it doesn’t come from your heart, obeying means little. It is God who has extended His love to you. But He will never force His love upon you. If it is force fed, it would not be love.