Walking Sacrificially

Live like Christ and love others.

Candice Hohenwald

May 31, 2026

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We are continuing with our “Walking with God” series by discussing what it means to walk sacrificially and love others as Christ loves us.

You can find other posts in the series here:

Walking with God

Walking in the Wilderness

Walking in the Light

Walking Toward Rest

Walking Toward Healing

There are many extremes in society. Depending on who you are, your background, and your beliefs, you lean in certain directions.

Imagine a teetering beam high above the ground that we must keep in balance. If something becomes too heavy on one side, the beam falls. And so will we.

With sacrificial love, there are extremes that can take over.

There are those who refuse to sacrifice their desires and wants and instead take from others. They expect others to sacrifice for them out of their own pride. Some even twist Scripture to fit their desires instead of denying themselves and following what God’s Word actually says. They need to humble themselves and truly listen to the teachings of Jesus.

On the opposite end, there are those who sacrifice so much that they neglect their own basic needs, and even submit to being put down, used, and abused. They think they are serving God by putting others first. Instead, it wears away at their souls, and they think less of themselves. It can cause them to neglect their relationship with God.

But when we know who we are in Christ, we seek to serve humbly because we love as He loves, not because we disvalue ourselves. It’s not about thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves and our comforts less. Each one of us is special to the Creator of all.

To find the balance, we need to handle every situation with wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

Sacrificial love is what we are called to do, but wisdom wouldn’t tell the person whose spouse is hurting them and their children to submit to abuse. Wisdom wouldn’t tell the person being slandered to agree with the lies. Wisdom wouldn’t tell a person to neglect their children’s basic needs to give excess to someone else.

Jesus cares for the vulnerable. He uplifts those who are neglected and taken advantage of. He does not tolerate the perversion of using and abusing others in any form. He is protective of those He loves, and we should be too.

A heart filled with Christ and the wisdom from the Holy Spirit will focus on what God the Father has called us to do. We will then have the balance of truth.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” John 14:6 NASB1995

As a baby learns how to walk by watching her parents, so we learn how to walk through life by watching Jesus Christ. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us and calls us to live sacrificially out of love for others as well.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13 NASB1995

It won’t be easy. People will hate us because we have Jesus. There are those who will mistreat us and hurt our feelings. We are still called to sacrifice our own desires for the needs of others out of love for them.

The only way we can find the capacity to love this way is because we are rooted in Jesus. Without firm roots, we are easily plucked up and trampled upon.

So, assuming we have balance and there is no abuse or neglect involved, how can we walk sacrificially?

Jesus showed us that everything goes back to the position of our hearts.

Relationship Route

“Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:29-31 NASB1995

Sacrificial love is not an action we just do on our own. It is an outpouring of what’s inside our hearts. And when we grow closer to Christ and abide in Him, He transforms us to be like Him in humble service out of love.

Connecting to the Vine is where we find our strength. We must be rooted in the Route, the Way… Jesus. We can easily pour out love and grace on others when we’re overflowing from being in His presence.

A person who knows their God-given identity will live in His purpose out of love for Him. It isn’t selfishness to be connected with the One who gives us the ability to love others.

Our most important relationship cannot be neglected. We must make sure we are taking time alone to pray and connect with our Heavenly Father. We must abide in His Word and soak in His love so that our hearts will pour forth that love to others.

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NASB1995

Aligned Attitude

We must check our attitudes and align them with how God wants us to live to be sure we are walking on His path.

Obligation kills desire. If we are begrudgingly serving others, we are missing out on so much good that God has in store for us through sacrificial love.

If we feel that we have to do something, we no longer want to do it. I see it in my child. She wants to help do everything, and does so with a great attitude, until we begin to expect it and she feels obligated to do it. Then she does it reluctantly. We all do that because of human nature.

We see it in marriages, parenting, in service to the church, and all walks of daily life. When others pressure us to feel obligated, or we pressure ourselves, we no longer want to do it.

Instead of looking at serving others as an obligation to fulfill their expectations, we should look at it as an opportunity to show the love of Christ and make an eternal difference in their lives.

What if we were so connected to the Source of love that it came naturally to us to serve without feeling obligated? That is how we love sacrificially with a cheerful attitude.

“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 NASB1995

Motivation Map

Our motivation is the map we follow as we walk each day through this life. We must check our motivations to be sure we are following the right map when we love and serve others sacrificially.

Are we motivated by pride? Do we seek to do things for others for the praise it may bring to us?

Are we motivated by seeking love and acceptance? Do we do things for others to earn their love and affection?

Are we motivated by the approval of people? Do we care more about what others think of us than what God thinks of us?

Are we motivated by fear? Do we do things for others because we’re afraid of consequences to ourselves if we don’t? (This could be as simple as chores piling up, but can also be a red flag of abuse or a toxic person who makes you miserable if you don’t live up to their expectations. At a minimum, communication and boundaries are important to prevent this. In cases of abuse, please seek help.)

We can’t walk in sacrificial love with these motivations. We must check ourselves and return to our Source of love to correct this desire. Because when we believe the Father loves us, we don’t need the approval of people.

“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 NASB1995

The love of Christ must be our motivation. Spending our lives in devotion to Him and basking in His love makes us spill over with His love to all those around us. We must believe our identity is rooted in Him and from that flows sacrificial love.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NASB1995

Humility Highway

Walking with Jesus means we walk in sacrificial love with wisdom and humility. What if we all lived humbly as Jesus calls us to?

“And [Jesus] was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’” Luke 9:23 NASB1995

We give sacrificially out of unconditional love because of God’s unconditional love for us.

We humble ourselves and do not expect others to serve us, but always remain grateful for what they do and show them appreciation.

If we have a prideful heart that’s looking for recognition, we can correct that by denying ourselves and serving without recognition. It is better to give than to receive.

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” Matthew 6:3 NASB1995

We must take the highway toward humility to love others as Christ does.

Everlasting Effect

The greatest purpose we have is to bring the Gospel to others. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, doing good works through Him and for Him to reach others with the Good News of His love.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 NASB1995

The way we live can affect whether someone comes to know Jesus as their Savior or not.

An eternal impact on souls is always more important than our temporary comfort.

We can walk sacrificially out of love for God and for others without wrong motivations or being trampled upon because we remain walking with God.

He is our Source of strength, love, purpose, and identity. Remain in Him.

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