Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever thought about what it means to give your life away? Jesus paints a beautiful picture of what that looks like, and it's captured in our Verse of the Day.
It comes from Ephesians chapter 5, verse 2. "Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God."
The Life and Death of Jesus
To live a life filled with love. I think often we focus on the death of Jesus—as we should. That's the ultimate sign and symbol of love, that He came for us while we were sinners, and He died for us. But if we look specifically at His death, we miss the entire life that He lived leading up to it, filled with examples of love. Now, I'm not saying that the life of Jesus outweighs His death, and I'm not saying His death outweighs His life. The whole of His existence is beautiful and is an example of love. But if we miss His life, we miss how we can pull from it and learn how to live the love that He showed us.
For example, He went to parties and He sat with people that everyone thought were outcasts. He mourned with His closest friends. He sat in the dirt with a woman condemned in sin. Jesus willingly sat with His creation, with His people to show them how much He loved them. Maybe that's something for you. You're wondering, how can I love somebody next to me? Or how do I find new ways of showing love? Look at all the examples of Jesus. Maybe you sit with someone who's mourning. Maybe you visit someone who's in jail. Maybe you give food to someone on the side of the road. Whatever it might be for you, look at the life of Jesus and let that inspire you.
Self-Sacrificial Love
Now we shift to His death. It says in this Scripture that He offered Himself as a sacrifice. What would it look like for you to offer your life as a sacrifice for somebody? Self-sacrificial love can hurt sometimes. Look at Jesus before He went to the cross. He knew He had to go through what He was about to face. He went into the garden all by Himself, and He prayed. He asked the Lord for an opportunity out if there were one. Yet He said, "Not my will—Yours be done." He gave us an example of what it looks like to press through pain and discomfort for the sake of the ones He loves.
A Pleasing Aroma to God
When we look at His life, at His death, maybe we ask Jesus to help us understand what it means to have a life that, just like Him, is a pleasing aroma to God. What does that mean? In the Old Testament, God required people to offer sacrifices to cover sin temporarily, but He would always have them come back over and over again. Any time a sacrifice was offered, it was done with a good heart. It was done with purity, and it said it pleased the Lord. When we look at our lives just like the life of Jesus, God is looking for people who come to Him in love, who lay down their lives for others, and who are just like that sacrifice—a pleasing aroma to God.
The Perfect Sacrifice
Here's one more piece I think is going to put a beautiful bow on our conversation today. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. The Bible says that He died once for all, so that anyone who calls on Him would be saved. Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and His soon return are all examples of the beauty of what it means to live a sacrificial life. Loving people with everything you've got and giving it all to Jesus as a pleasing aroma.
