Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Luke 14:28 (NIV)
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When we dream about what we want to be when we grow up, it’s rare to hear: “When I grow up, I want to be a slave. I want to sacrifice my entire life to serve someone who may not even know what I’ve done. And I want to do it regardless of how much my efforts are appreciated or if I even get credit for what I’ve done.”

Not too many of us would be attracted to a career as a slave; yet, that’s exactly what God is growing us up to be—sacrificial servants, motivated by the nature of God, the Holy Spirit, working from within us. My friend, Steve Pettit, says as Jesus-ones we count the cost of godly love, and then, no matter how much sacrifice the cost requires, we go ahead and pay the price so others can experience firsthand the sacrificial nature of God’s love.

Sacrificial love utterly destroys our comfort zones because it requires that we lay down any demands that life be lived on our terms. It’s a radical shift because we learned, even in our congregations, to serve on our terms. We often sing, teach, meet, and lead—as long as our interests and preferences are protected.

Where’s the witness in that? It reflects the mere thinking of men, which is all too common, and not the expansive love of God, a witness so rare that the world takes notice when it sees such sacrificial service.

In sacrificial relationships, someone pays the price so others can freely receive. All we have from God is freely received, paid for through the passionate sacrifice of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4:7). Within us, the Holy Spirit is transforming us into Jesus-beings, able to freely receive from God and then sacrificially give to others so they, too, can know God.

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