Do You Know What Sacrifice Means? Two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, joined a party that was going around the world. Before they started, their minister earnestly asked them to observe and remember any unusual and interesting things that they might see in the missionary countries through which the party was to travel. The men promised—carelessly, perhaps—to do so. One day in Korea, they saw in a field by the side of the road a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held the handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused, and took a snapshot of the scene. “That’s a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor,” he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party. “Yes,” was the quiet reply. “That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.” The lawyer and the businessman by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, “That must have been a real sacrifice.” “They did not call it that,” said the missionary. “They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell.”
From Michael McCartney’s Sermon: “Role-Model Saints” Romans pt. 14