Give it All

"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus,

and turning to them he said:

'If anyone comes to me

and does not hate his father and mother,

his wife and children,

his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--

he cannot be my disciple.

And anyone who does not carry his cross

and follow me cannot be my disciple. . .

In the same way,

any of you who does not give up everything he has

cannot be my disciple.'"

Luke 14:25-27, 33

He loved God and followed His commands all of his life.  He spent much of his time studying God's law and putting it into practice.  He wanted so much to please God and live forever with Him.  When the man heard that Jesus the Messiah was close by, he took the chance to find out the answer to his question.

"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answered just how he expected; "Keep the commandments."

"Well, I've done that since I was a boy!"

Jesus knew this was a man who took His Father's law seriously.  "There is one more thing;  Give all you have away to the poor and come follow me."

He couldn't believe He would ask such a thing.  Give away all of His riches?  How foolish and risky that would be!  What would he and his family live on?  No. . .that is too much to ask.. . I just can't do it. (Mark 10:17-31)

It's easy to sympathize with the young rich ruler.  He had it all but he didn't live for his own comfort, as is so common to do.  Instead, he tried to live his life in a way that pleased God.  All he wanted was the assurance of God's acceptance of his offerings.  Unfortunately, he went away sad because Jesus asked for more than he was willing to give.  The young man wanted to please God only if it came on his own terms.  He would try to do his best for God, but only if he could decide the means he would use.

I am so like this young man.  My heart desires to please God, but there are certain places I won't go, specific things I won't give up, or particular people I want by my side.  If, however, I truly want to delight in the Lord, I must be prepared to give it all.

My Heart

Mother Teresa, a tireless servant of Jesus Christ who worked with the lowest of the low in the slums of Calcutta, India said, "A clean heart is a free heart.  A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love."  This is how she was able to do the unthinkable: care for lepers, love the unlovable, nurse the hopeless.  Her heart was entirely devoted to Jesus, loving Him in the way she gave attention to the lost and suffering of this world.

When David prayed for God to, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me," (Psalm 51:10) he was committing himself back to the One he loved above all else.  He was throwing himself at God's mercy, knowing that He alone could rid him of all that distracts his heart from His true Love.  Only Jesus can capture my heart in such a way that my passion is for Him alone.

Many times, however, the trappings of this world, the worries that threaten to overtake me, or my inner drive to make a name for myself can take away from my One True Love.  How many times is my heart tainted with other than pure devotion to God?

What am I unwilling to give up for Jesus.  Which parts of my heart am I retaining for my own purposes and pleasure?  I could secretly want some recognition for the good things that I do.  Maybe it's hard for me to act selfishly, where there's no pay off for me.  It's likely that my heart is more devoted to my comfort than to following God's calling on my life.

Whatever I find to be the holdup, I must realize and accept that a pure heart is free from anything selfish that would keep me from following Jesus without hesitation.

If I want to delight the Lord, I will be ready to give my whole heart to Jesus.

My Mind

There are problems to solve, past conversations to analyze, blame to place, plans to make, work to perform, hurts to examine, revenge to plan and behavior to understand.  My mind is a battlefield, and if I want to have any chance of winning that fight, I will need to power of God to help me change the focus from me to Him.  

Even though there is much to capture the attention of my thoughts, it is possible to use my mind in a way that shows love and respect for God.  The Apostle Paul teaches me to focus my thoughts on things that will please God.  He says in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anythings is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Virtuous and commendable thoughts are those that dwell on all the good that God is doing, not on all the problems and difficult circumstances that He allows for my good.  A friend of mine says that our words, spoken or thought, "create life or death.  Look at every problem as an opportunity for God to show Himself in ways unimaginable."  My life would change immensely if I viewed conflict or suffering as a way for God to display His mighty power instead of as a hardship.

Dwelling on the difficulties that come my way by asking myself Why does everything have to happen to me? or wondering, Great; what else can happen to make my life even worse than it already is? is counteractive to my faith in God.  Joyce Meyer talks about God's purposes for the hard things or difficult tasks He brings my way.  She said, "God doesn't tell you to do hard things so He can stand back and laugh and watch you struggle.  He tells you to do the things He knows are gonna work out to your good in the end." (Romans 8:28)  Keeping my mind focused on the good that will come out of the bad is pleasing to God.  

In addition, my thoughts not only can look negatively on my circumstances, but also on my own self.  When I think negatively about certain aspects of my character, I am tearing apart one of God's image-bearers: Me.  For instance, I have the habit of saying or thinking that I have a big mouth.  Thankfully, a friend of mine recently corrected my thinking.  She said, "You are assertive and can see the what needs to be done.  You speak up for others in a way that they cannot do for themselves."  When she put it like that, I instantly could feel myself sit up a bit straighter and my thinking began to turn more positive.  Putting myself down is not humility, it is showing a disregard for God's grand design.

No matter how strongly my thoughts naturally turn toward the negative, a mind dedicated to Jesus will be transformed into a mind that pleases God.

My Will

My will is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "a disposition to act according to principles or ends."  In other words, my will is what gives me the drive to make a decision.  This determination or resolve can work toward my favor and support my desires, or it can push me closer to Christ.  When my will yields to Christ, I will act in a way that pleases God.  When, however, my will is solely set on me and my wishes, then I'm only gratifying myself.

Thankfully, God is not a bully who breaks my will and forces me to obey Him.  He sends situations and hard times into my life to help me to see those parts of me of which I must let go in order to come to Jesus as I am, ready to let Him work through me.  Fear, worry, anxiety and doubt are obstacles that get in the way of my access to Him.  God, however, never gives up on me.  He compassionately and relentlessly pursues me with His persistent love, guiding me in the way I can go, if I will only choose.

Allowing God to have access to my life comes only with my blessing.  He will not force Himself upon me, but waits to be invited.  As Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 ESV, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

A closer relationship with Jesus that goes beyond a Savior/Saved association, must be initiated by me.  I must desire to make Him Lord of my life.  As Oswald Chambers explained regarding those things to keep me from giving Jesus lordship, "The Holy Spirit will locate the one impregnable thing in you, but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him."

My will is the one thing that can get in the way of Jesus having full ownership of my life.  Sure, there are sin struggles, fleshly strongholds and other barriers; but all of those can be removed by Jesus.  I, however, must permit Him access to my life.

As strong as my will may be, it is only possible to please God is I am agreeable to give ultimate sovereignty over my life to Him.

Simply wanting to please God on my own terms is not enough.  I must be willing to give my whole heart to Jesus, dedicate my mind to thoughts that please Him, and give Him complete access to my life.  In these ways I will do what the eager, young rich ruler would not do: Follow Jesus.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my thought life turned toward the good things God is doing.

How does my heart betray my true focus?

When do I unintentionally set my will against God?

The Eye of a Needle

"Jesus answered,

'If you want to be perfect, go, 

sell your possessions

and give to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me.'

When the young man heard this,

he went away sad, 

because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

'I tell you the truth,

it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again I tell you,

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'"

Matthew 19:21-24

I've always heard that Jesus was referring in this passage to a gate in Jerusalem that was called, "the eye of the needle."  It was supposedly so small that the only way a camel could get through it was to bend down on its knees.  According to the original Greek, however, the actual word used was kamilos, meaning "rope" but was confused in translation with the word for "camel," meaning kamelos.  So it seems the true gist of this metaphor was that it is more difficult to thread a rope through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Either way, the point is that it is hard for the well-to-do to humble themselves to the point of valuing Jesus alone, above all other things.  Even though I don't consider myself to be rich, if I have a place to live, at least one meal to eat every day, and more than one set of clothing, then I am considered to be rich by the standards of the rest of the world.  

Putting money aside, however, I'd like to open up the realm of possibilities of what makes me rich.  Jesus went right to the heart of the matter with this young rich ruler.  He knew what the man valued above Him; money.  What do I value more than Jesus?  Or, to put it another way, of what would I have a hard time letting go if Jesus asked me?

Stuff

One of my favorite chaplains when my family was involved in the Army Chapel system was a young man who could have made a decent living as a stand-up comic.  One of his favorite things to say was that, "it's just stuff."  He could have been referring to irritations, possessions or relationships.  His meaning was that apart from Jesus, nothing else really mattered.

The "stuff" that we Westerners hold near and dear to our hearts is possessions.  We love our gadgets and can't wait to get the newest electronic device or computer upgrade.  Watching movies on a small screen just doesn't cut it anymore; everyone has to have a high-definition flat-screen wonder with surround sound and 3-D capabilities.  Whenever a new phone comes out, we're first in line to give it a try.  Cars quickly lose their appeal and we are swift to make a trip to the dealership to quench our thirst for the newer, better and nicer ride.

The question my pastor asked in Bible study one time was this: What do you hold with a closed hand?  He went on to challenge me with the thought that every possession that comes into my hands may not necessarily be for me.  Instead of holding things with a clenched fist, I could instead choose to carry it with an open hand, ready to give it away at a moments' notice.

I  have a friend who actually does this.  I must be careful when I'm around her because if I admire a necklace, scarf or teapot, she'll give it to me on the spot.  God put it on her heart to stop valuing her stuff and give it away when someone comments on it.  In this way, God is teaching her to hold her things with an open hand.

God's Word teaches us that everything that we can smell, feel, taste, and see will burn up on the day of the Lord.  (2 Peter 3:10)  Nothing will remain.  Since I can't take any of this stuff with me, why do I spend so much time, money and effort buying it, cleaning it, caring for it, and using it?  What time that I spend on this stuff would be better off spent on something that will survive the fire at the end of times? (Matthew 6:19-21)  

If Jesus is my most valuable possession I will be willing to hold all my stuff in an open hand.

People

I remember feeling pretty attached to my boyfriend when I was in High School.  I recently took a peek into my Adolescent mind by reading my diary.  I can't bear to think of my life without him. . . I love him so much!  I can't wait to see him again!  It will be hard when he goes off to college, but I'll try to see him as much as I can.  I can't imagine living without him.

Wow.  If it wasn't for that diary, I wouldn't have recalled the depth of my affection for this boy.  Thankfully, my relationships since have taken on a more mature and well-balanced quality, at least for the most part.  As much as I thought I loved my High School sweetheart, my heart is now much more closely entwined with my husband and children.  They mean more to me than any other humans in the world.  

I have to admit, though, there was a time when I was afraid God would ask me to go on some kind of overseas mission and I would be forced to choose between my family and obedience to God.  How could I leave my young daughters behind?  Behind this fear was a deeper issue: I was valuing them more than Jesus.  

Oswald Chambers puts into perspective in this way.  He says, "There is only one Being Who can satisfy the last aching abyss of the human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Why our Lord is apparently so severe regarding every human relationship is because He knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to Himself will end in disaster."

It is very easy for me to expect my husband to fulfill that deep-seated need for me to feel loved and cherished.  When he is less than loving, I am incensed and unhappy.  If instead I placed that burden upon Jesus, I find He loves me with a love that will quench my deepest thirst.  (John 4:13-14)

I can look to my friends to fulfill my desire for companionship, or I can turn to Jesus to be my constant friend who will always love me and never leave me.  (Hebrews 13:5)

I can find fulfillment in my role as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, but my true source of contentment is in Jesus. (Philippians 4:12-13) 

If Jesus is my most valued relationship I will be willing to let go of my loved ones and count on Him to fulfill all my needs.

Holiness

Author and educator William Arthur Ward said, "Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not to envy, to follow but not to imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate."  There is a fine line to living my life for the glory of God and living my life for my own success.  I may try to be encouraging and supportive on my own, but I end up becoming a smooth-sweet-talker.  

I could intend to observe other's lives in order to get ideas in how to improve mine, but I only wind up with jealousy and resentment.

It may be that I find myself to be a strong leader but I easily slip into the role of judgmental bully.  

When I value my own character development in God and His ways, love goes out the window.  Selfishness comes naturally to me.  It is normal for me to desire the best of everything for myself.  This applies to godly character traits, as well.  I want to be the best Christian I can be, not necessarily so I'll please God, but many times its so I can be thought of by others as a strong believer.  

Selfish motivations get me in trouble when it comes to my walk with Christ.  Instead of focusing on what I'll get out of my relationship with Him, I can concentrate on making myself less and Him more.  My desire to obey must be out of a clean heart with no thought of what I'll gain.  (Psalm 51:10)

If Jesus is my motivation I will be willing to follow Him without regard for my own growth.  

It is hard to follow Jesus wholeheartedly!  There are many things I hold closely to my heart.  I clench my fists around my stuff, embrace family and friends tightly as I count on them to fulfill my needs, and I selfishly motivate myself to obey with the hope of gaining a more godly character.  

As Jesus looks at me in my despair,  He reminds me that, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  (Matthew 19:26)

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will value Jesus above all other things, people and benefits.

How do I desire a stronger faith, but don't think about how I can glorify God?

When is my stuff more important than my relationship with Jesus?  What am I unwilling to give away?