In the movie Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury needs to give away all his possessions.

He invites in the poor. They start taking away his things. He looks to the cross and says, “You! You! You are the only one who knows how easy this is!”

Pardon? 

That’s not what we expect him to say. We expect him to say something about how difficult it is. But no, he thinks it’s easy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes the following comment about living under the sign of the cross. It is “not misery and desperation” but “peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy.”

I have to be honest. I’m not there yet. I like comfort. I like convenience. I’m more of a sinner than you think I am! Some days are better than others, but I can safely say that I have a long ways to go. But what I have discovered is that, over time, certain sacrifices become more joyful when I focus less on what I’m giving up and more on what someone else is gaining.

This was the example of Jesus when he came to earth, humbled himself, led a life of loving self-sacrifice, and died for others. Paul articulates it like this in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

He suffered, but we became rich.
He died, but we were given life.
He faced the assault of darkness, but we received light.

Jesus is our Saviour and Lord. He is also our model, teacher and example. 

“Lord, we love comfort and convenience. We live in a world that has tried to convince us that we always deserve such things. Forgive the allergic reaction we sometimes have to sacrificial love. Subdue our tendency to think more about what we’re losing than what someone else is gaining. Fix our eyes on Jesus. Make him our highest joy. And may we share that joy with others. In his name we pray, Amen.”

Notes:

–*Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1959), 93.
–The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on February 10, 2025.
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.