The gift of sacrifice

As we are nearing Easter weekend, my thoughts are filled with the gift of sacrifice that God made with the death of Jesus on the cross.  Eternal life with him is such an amazing gift that it is difficult to wrap my thoughts completely around this concept.  It led me to think about how we sacrifice to remove the sin of debt from our lives.  I was talking with a friend that has worked very hard to get himself and his family out of debt.  They have been successful and are now working towards building wealth.  His family has sacrificed several luxuries along the way but, he will undoubtedly tell you it was worth it.  I continued to caution him about going too far with sacrificing the luxuries.  In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 it is written, “I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live, and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God”.  When we work hard, are good stewards of our resources, have paid our debtors, and give back to God what is his; then, he expects us to enjoy ourselves.  If you don’t allow yourself a little splurging every once in a while; you are more likely to fall into bad habits with your spending.  Keep your focus on God and the gifts he has given us.  He meant for us to enjoy what he has blessed us with; as long as we keep him first in our lives!