Personal Sacrifice: The Cost of Greatness
In the second part of this series, we looked at another fundamental truth and principle of greatness:
When you’re committed to your calling, you will pour all your heart into your work and service. Greatness demands everything from you.
You can read the previous two editions of this series here and here.
A step farther than purpose and excellence
A life of excellence is fundamental to fulfilling your purpose. We can’t be rewarded much for an average commitment. 100% makes the difference.
Over the course of studying the lives of men and women that I consider pursued their God-given passion with intensity and one-mindedness, I’ve come to discover a third ingredient that fuels greatness even farther.
These heroes of the faith didn’t stop at discovering their purpose on one hand and serving God with excellence on the other. Equipped with purpose and excellence, they excelled where our generation has, unfortunately, failed consistently:
They made significant personal sacrifices… too many to count.
William Carey: The father of modern missions
Greatness does not come cheap. William Carey (1761-1834) was so convinced God called him to India he was willing to move his family at a significant personal cost.
Known as the father of modern missions, William gave himself (at the expense of his family relationships and health) in response to God’s call. His heart bled India and he gave himself serving the people, translating the Bible into many indigenous Indian languages.
By the time he died, history has it that William had spent 41 years in India without leave of absence. That’s huge! 41 years — no trip to the Bahamas, no all-inclusive holiday. How convicting!
Not everyone may appreciate his approach, but that man was committed to a cause he was willing to die for! And it cost him dearly.
What does this mean for you?
People who make significant impact in life cannot avoid personal sacrifices. Jesus made the biggest personal sacrifice in human history. And we (if we truly follow His steps) are not exempt.
What’s the biggest personal sacrifice you’ve ever made for God, your faith and in your pursuit of purpose? — Share this!
You may need to quit certain relationships (1 Corinthians 15:33) or abandon affiliation with some groups. You may need to waive personal gains to pursue a life that has a deeper meaning (Luke 9:23-24; Philippians 1:20-21).
Our sacrifices may vary but one thing will never change:
The pursuit of greatness will call you to make personal sacrifices in order to achieve God’s vision for your life.
Image courtesy of Catch the Dream | Flickr
About Joseph Iregbu
From a homeless, near-school-dropout to living a story worth telling. Purpose is my passion. What's your story?
As I read your post I thought about the book, “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He too gave all for God. He knew what it meant to live sacrificially for God. In His book He talks about the costliness of God’s grace. Our salvation cost God His son, Jesus. We shouldn’t cheapen that grace by ignoring the great cost of our salvation. Following Christ means denying self and following our Savior. That means different things for everyone, but it will cost us all something.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is an inspiration. I’ve heard so much about that book and I need to read it. Thanks for sharing, TC.
It really spoke to me. It’s one of my favorite books, especially after reading his bio by Eric Metaxas.