It's Time!

“Beloved, don’t you know that there is no happiness or blessedness except in giving to God?” ~Andrew Murray, 101
“ …‘Lord, here is the covenant between You and me. You delight to give all, and I delight to give back all.’ …If that simple lesson were learned, there would be an end of so much trouble about finding out the will of God, and an end of all our holding back, for it would be written, not upon our foreheads, but across our hearts, ‘God can do with me what He pleases; I belong to Him with all I have.’” ~Andrew Murray, 101-102
“You can’t expect to be filled with the Spirit unless you want to live for Christ’s kingdom…” ~Andrew Murray, 104
It seemed the Lord cared to deal with me on this matter as well (which I am thankful for)… This morning I was able to read through the final chapter of “The Deeper Christian Life” by Andrew Murray. This chapter keyed in on a verse, Chronicles 29:14 (if you want to read a cool chapter on giving to the Lord read Chr. 29!). In this chapter people are giving to the Lord for the building of the temple… much is given and King David praises God then says, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” I could write much on this and what surrounds it but let me first try to summarize how Andrew Murray expands so beautifully on it. He observes: 1) God owns all and gives all to us; 2) We have nothing but what we receive, but everything we need we may receive from God; 3) It is our privilege and honor to give back to God what we receive from Him; 4) God has a double joy in His possessions when He receives back from us what He gave. In short, we need to offer God our all and trust His way is truly the best.
Right after I finished reading this chapter we (the group home people and I) went to church… The sermon asked, “What are you going to do with your “dash” [life, as in 1983 – 2080]?”. Addressed was how we as people tend to sit much too much in the “comfort zone/chair”, our lives might be busy and hectic but it is all about serving ourselves. The people in Hebrews 11 didn’t become great or “commented” because they sat around waiting for something to happen (although waiting on the Lord was sometimes part of it). Rather, they were commended for their faith, not waiting around for something to happen “faith” but true faith. True faith is that which causes the beholder to act, like Abraham walking with Isaac to the altar, like Moses going back to Egypt (however imperfect his faith was); the kind of faith that kept the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho.
This all caused me to think about how I live my life… Do I desire for God to “Rock my World” so as to inspire me towards His plans? How am I living out the life that the Lord has given to me? All things come from the Lord and I am to worship Him by giving back the gifts He has given me. One of the most precious things the Lord has given to me is time, how am I using that gift? Am I worshiping the Lord with my time, asking Him how I am to use it for His glory? So often we waste our lives sitting in our easy chair, watching TV, using the Internet… instead of connecting with and loving people, spending time with God, cleaning up after someone else, etc. Not that there isn’t time to relax or enjoy various habits/hobbies but are we honoring the Lord with the use of such?
What is the Lord calling you to today? Where do we need to be more faithful in service to Him? Jesus Himself exclaimed both, “It is more blessed to give then to receive” and “He who has been faithful with little will also be faithful with much”. Let us be faithful with what God has given to us today, offering our time, money, energy, possessions, etc. to His purposes for His glory! Let’s give our all up to Him and believe whole-heartedly Jam. 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Let us trust Him for these gifts as we faithfully and joyfully give them back in worship; as we share them with others rejoicing that our every need and “want” is already met in Christ.
“Lord, cause these truths to become more and more real to me that I might follow your ways and be wrapped up in you everlasting, unconditional love. May I know you better and draw ever so much nearer to you my King. Amen.”