Sacrifice for Greatness- April Devotional 2024

Lebron James and J.J. Redick recently launched a podcast together called Mind the Game. It’s going to be a monster success, especially with those who love basketball. It caught my attention this week when Lebron said…

“When it comes to discipline, you have to sacrifice loved ones.”

There was some cautious laughter from J.J. and Lebron, maybe as the weightiness of what he had just said dawned on them, both of them acknowledging that there was some hard truth in it. Lebron doubled down…

“You have to sacrifice loved ones for a long period of time if you want to be great.” He goes on to say, “It is very unfortunate.” You can watch the clip here.

How does this land on you? Does it ring true? Have you experienced this in your life?

Like basketball, the building industry is a grind. There can be a lot of competition, pressure, and sacrifice involved – especially relationally – in growing a successful company. You don’t become great in this industry without making some sacrifices…and we don’t get an offseason.

In the Bible, God gives us an entirely different take on the kind of sacrifice that leads to greatness:

Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:3

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” John 9:46-48

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,^[b] 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,^[c] being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:3-11

So the questions I’m left asking myself are: If there’s some truth in what Lebron said, and I think there is, do I even want to be great? What kind of greatness am I sacrificing for in life? Great in who’s eyes? What if there’s a way to be great without sacrificing my loved ones, but instead by sacrificing myself? Where’s my focus? Whose kingdom am I most concerned with investing in for greatness – my own or God’s? What if my greatness isn’t up to me?

I’m not sure where you find yourself in this conversation on sacrifice in pursuing greatness, but this feels like a good place to start – wrestling with some questions and evaluating where your head and heart are. We’re here for you if you need someone to process with.

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