Today's world wants to free us from the need for sacrifice. Technological innovations facilitate life in any field, modern psychology exempts us from responsibility for our actions and, what is worse, strives to exclude the concept of victim of raising children: a child should not suffer, live in stress, everything must be done for him. This thought results in the person forgetting the concept of sacrifice.
A person lives easier and easier, but he does not become happier, he is oppressed, even small difficulties and obstacles in life are killed and the person is weakening. We need to go back under the cross, back to the concept of the cross, the concept of sacrifice.
True love sacrifices itself. A mother who loves her children will not look comfortable, but she will get up even at night to help and serve her children. And she will not save herself, but she considers it her duty, it is her duty. And this is the sacrifice.
Earthly relationships based on trust are built for a long time, when facts show love and sacrifice. That is why the spouses at the altar make promises of "fidelity in health and disease, wealth and poverty." After all, it is an option to stay, serve, and sacrifice when things are not going well. The same principle applies to relationships with God. Just not as it might seem at first glance.
Unlike earthly relationships, which are based on the mutual affairs of love and sacrifice, our relationship with God is based exclusively on the love and sacrifice of God. When they nailed nails into the hands and feet of the Savior, when Christ on the cross died a terrible death: he made the only and necessary sacrifice and an act of love. It will never be needed again. He did this so that we would not have to make the "necessary sacrifices" for the sake of our relationship with Him. He became this sacrifice Himself, and now all who want to communicate with God can find this communication.
There is no longer a need for sacrifices to God on our part to earn His love. To know God, we do not need to perform a certain number of actions and actions. This relationship with God cannot be earned. But, as in any relationship, if we really love someone, we show it explicitly.
We can love God by serving others, sacrificing ourselves generously, and each day we decide to love God and follow his commandments. And although this relationship with God will not be like any earthly relationship, it will not be more important than the relationship in your life. Only this relationship is shaping us and is so valuable. If we deliberately spend time with Him, talk to Him, and listen to Him, serve Him, we understand that He turned to us long ago and, in His sight, love (1 John 4:19).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
God loved the world so much that he gave the most precious thing: his only begotten Son. God sacrificed Jesus so that sin would not rule us, so that we would not burn in hell forever, to have hope for the future.