There is a hymn, “When My Love for Christ Grows Weak,” written by J. R. Wreford, that we quite often sing before communion to help prepare our minds for partaking of the Lord’s supper. The last stanza reads like this:

I wonder how many of us who sing this song really know what “a full self-sacrifice” is. For instance, do you “sacrifice” an hour on Sunday afternoon to assemble with the saints for worship? Are you willing to sacrifice an hour or so each day to study God’s word? Have you decided to sacrifice a night of the week to visit and talk with others in an attempt to save the lost or restore the erring? Do you sacrifice more than a dollar or two a week to give to the Lord for the work of the church?

I fear that most of us, because we live in a land of material prosperity, social freedom, and political peace, have little concept of real “sacrifice,” even when it comes to serving Christ. For many, religion is merely a convenience that they enjoy once a week (if nothing else comes up) rather than a true conviction which is demonstrated in their lives every single day. When we sing about “a full self-sacrifice,” we are professing to have the attitude, “Lord, I surrender all.” Have you actually surrendered all to God—time, effort, abilities, money, etc.? Or are you holding something back?

Consider the following little story that I read. “Just suppose a good friend let you have ten apples, said you could use nine of them for yourself, but asked you to save the last one for him. Then after you had eaten your nine, you finished off his too. How do you think he would feel? Now suppose that God gave you seven days in a week, told you to take six of them as yours, but requested that you give one solely to Him…???”