Martyr or Member

Matthew 9:13 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

There is a time to sacrifice. Sometime I sacrifice when it is unnecessary. Sometimes I think that unless I'm sacrificing I'm not trying. Unless I am emptied then I am not doing all that I could, all that I should.

But Christ comes into our lives so that we would have life and life abundantly. He emptied himself to fill us with the fullness of life in the Kingdom of GOD.

What is the difference between a martyr or a member?

1 Corinthians 13:3 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Have you considered that it is possible to be a martyr without love? It is possible to sacrifice and not love. Sacrifice in itself is not love. Sacrifice can be manipulation. Sacrifice can be insecurity or pride. Sacrifice can be unrealistic expectations. Sacrifice can be overfunctioning. Sacrifice can be overbearing. None of these things are love. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful. Sacrifice that seeks it's own way is not Love. Sacrifice that becomes irritable is not love. Sacrifice that produces resentment is not love.

Now if you are a professional martyr you may imediately feel shame because in your mind you SHOULD do all the sacrificing but not have these feelings and you feel ashamed of having the feelings. The feelings are so wrong!! I'm so bad! Wrong!!

These feelings are an indicator that the sacrifice may have been unnecessary. It may have been over function. It may have been more about me than them.

You can be a martyr without love. But you can not be a member without love. A member (of Christ's body) knows how to give and receive. Any organ in the body that only gives and does not receive what it needs is diseased. It will ultimately hurt the body more than it helps. Similarly a member who only receives and never gives is diseased and will hurt the body more than it helps.

We are all suposed to walk in a manner that is healthy. Healthy means we know how to give and we know how to receive love, correction, accountability, and encouragement.

When we walk in the reality of the Kingdom of GOD then we walk with a recognization that I am cared for by GOD. I allow myself to be cared for by others. And I know how to care for others in a way that they need not just what I think I need to give to be loved.