“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
“I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). We are called upon to present ourselves as living sacrifices. Give up your life as you continue living it; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). Daily we pull ourselves onto the altar of sacrifice. I admit, sometimes I do slip or fall off. However, I don’t stay on the ground for long. I pull myself, yes, sometimes drag myself, back onto the altar.
Billy Cole preached a message called “The Reward of Sacrifice” and it has made it into his book Teachings by Billy Cole. His text was 1 Samuel 6: 7 – 14. Two cows were tied to a cart, to carry the Ark of the Covenant. Their calves were kept at home. The two cows lowed as they went on their way. That was their initial sacrifice. Reaching their destination, the cart was destroyed, and the cows paid the ultimate sacrifice—their lives as a burnt offering. I remember Brother Cole saying, “The reward for sacrifice is another, bigger sacrifice!”
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot).
Bruce A. Howell wrote, “As I scan the list of heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, I notice these men and women of vision had one thing in common. When it came to serving their God, they never counted the cost. They willingly gave all. It’s been years since I’ve heard that little song, “Take it all…What this world can offer me, take it all. For one hundred years from now, it won’t matter anyhow.” Oh, for a resurgence of that attitude! How much is biblically expected when it comes to contributing to the kingdom of heaven; making a kingdom investment? The answer contains three simple letters: ALL.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he…selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46).”
James Poitras 
Paper Preachers
Bro Josefj king
Greeting Bro Poitras,
Hope you and all your family are okay. Could you do me a big favour and proof read this for me and let me know what you think of it. I’m planning to turn it into a leaflet to use for evangelism. Some of the wording in this leaflet I got from you. Hope you do not mind me using them. The reason I asked you is because I know that you are very good when it comes to these things.
Your brother it Christ
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 14:40:34 +0000 To: paper.preachers@hotmail.com
great Article was really blessed by this and you used one of my fave quotes by Jim Elliot.
Brother Steve Sparks,
Thank you for sharing this with me. My Pastor, Keith Jones just preached about the treasure in the field, must be God’s heart and Him speaking to His people. Yes I agree it is denying ourselves and letting the Lord’s will be done in us and through us. (Acts1:8) this is what He has called us and given us His power for, to be His witnesses. Again I agree, the great reward is the fulfilling feeling of knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ has used us to touch someone’s life. That is not just touching one life but all that is around that individual. The Lord had shown me many years ago, the greatest way to affect His kingdom is by prayer. Giving ourselves in prayer for others and the ministry the Lord has given them. The Lord has given each of us a work to do, those that are kingdom minded are soul winning minded. We are always on the look out for the next soul the Lord wants to heal and fill with His Spirit. We pray for an anointing and a sensibility to be where and when He wants us to be there and what to say when we are there at the right time. This also I believe is what we should always be praying for our brother and sister in the field. It is one family in Christ Jesus, the Church. We all have one common goal to reach this world for Jesus. Just like a military battle you have the logistics, the map , the plan of how it is all going to go down. It is same with the Kingdom of God, we are at war with the enemy of our souls. In a war you have those on the front lines, those that bring the supplies, the cooks, the doctors, the pilots, ship captains ect. all make up the machine that works in unison against an enemy. All must be in unity for the mission to be a success, it is the same with the Church. We have Jesus as our Commander and Chief , if we don’t follow His lead, we walk on our own in our flesh. So submitting ourselves as a living sacrifice, to prayer, fasting to studying His work and Labouring in the field we will fulfil His will for our lives. To me this is where the reward comes, when you have prayed for someone and you see the change in their life. When you see that person weep before the Lord at His altar and filled with His Spirit, when they become baptised in His name. When someone the Lord has placed upon your heart to pray for their ministry and you then receive the testimony of the miracles the Lord has performed through them . How that the Lord through that ministry has added many more souls being Baptised in His name and being filled with His spirit, there is nothing more rewarding. Sorry if I seem top be rambling but you have hit a subject I am very passionate about . I agree giving ourselves to Jesus as a living sacrifice, denying this flesh so that He may live in and through us is the most rewarding thing one can do in this world. This is also eternally rewarding because first it will save our own souls and it with eternally affect those that the Lord Jesus has used us to witness to. I was thinking of this just earlier today, the elders before the throne of Jesus will cast their crowns at His feet . The reason they will do this , is because they have done nothing of themselves that would cause them to deserve those crowns; it is ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS !!!! Truly He IS LORD of LORDS and KING of KINGS, Truly He Is Our God !
Love Always Your Brother
Eddie Meadows
P.S.
Brother Steve I really appreciate your help and prayers. You and your wife and the newest most precious addition to your family will always be in my prayers. May the Hand of the Lord Jesus continue to be Strong and Mighty upon Your Family and Ministry