Let’s be real: most of us have learned to play life on defense.
Keep your guard up. Don’t give too much. Watch your back.

Especially when it comes to faith. Maybe you’ve been burned before—by religion, by people, or by your own expectations. So now, even when it comes to God, you play it safe. Keep things manageable. Keep your options open.

But then Jesus shows up and flips the whole thing upside down.

He doesn’t just ask for belief. He invites us into a way of living that feels kind of reckless. It’s called sacrificial and selfless love. And it’s not the watered-down, sentimental kind. It’s love that costs something. Love that lays something down. Love that makes people stop and ask, “Why would you do that?”

In John 12, there’s this moment where a woman named Mary walks into a dinner party with Jesus. She’s not there to impress anyone. She’s carrying a jar of perfume worth a year’s salary—think tens of thousands of dollars. She breaks it open and pours it out on Jesus’ feet.

Not a drop saved. Not a logical move in sight. Just total surrender.

Everyone in the room thinks she’s out of her mind.
Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, is quick to criticize. “What a waste,” he says. “This could’ve been sold and the money given to the poor.” But let’s be honest—he didn’t really care about the poor. He just didn’t get it.

Mary saw something in Jesus that Judas didn’t. And what she saw changed what she valued.

Because what you’re willing to sacrifice shows what you actually love.

In the story Judas held tight to what he had—control, reputation, money. Mary let go. She didn’t care how it looked. She didn’t ask what it would cost. She just gave—freely, completely. Because Jesus meant more.

You don’t have to pour perfume on someone’s feet. But if you're wondering what it actually looks like to follow Jesus—not just admire Him or believe from a distance—this is it. Sacrificial and selfless love. The kind that gives when there’s no guarantee it’ll come back. The kind that looks foolish to people who don’t understand. The kind that actually moves the heart of God.

It’s the kind of love that changes everything.

If you want a few practical ways to live this out, check out the full message above.