Self-Sacrifice, or Just Plain Giving

My pastor’s sermon this morning got into a variety of issues.  He started off by talking about how many of us wear masks, and we should not be afraid to take off our masks before God and ourselves.  But then he was getting into us being willing to lay down our lives for others, as Jesus did for us.  I do not understand that, to tell you the truth.  I don’t think that many of us will be in a situation in which we have to lay down our lives for somebody else.  Okay, well, suppose I was in such a situation: Would I be willing to lay down my life for someone else?  It depends, I guess.  Do I know the person?  Do I have affection for the person?  If not, then I would have to be particularly overwhelmed by the Spirit of God to have enough love in me to lay down my life for another person!

On my way to church, I was thinking about a project that I’m participating in.  I am a bit less-than-enthusiastic about it because it requires some time-commitment on my part.  But I realize that it is important to the person leading the project, and so I am participating.  I would not label my act self-sacrifice, per se.  But I think that it is important for me to do something for someone else, rather than just seeking to serve myself.