GIVING GOD EVERYTHING

GIVING GOD EVERYTHING

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8, NKJV) 

"Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him." (Matthew 4:19-20, NKJV)

"Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:28-30 , NKJV)

Is there anything that is worth keeping from God? Is your life, possessions, academic qualifications, children, business/job, position/status, money, career, etc. too valuable to you that you cannot hand it over to God?  It is tempting to think we are in charge but in reality, we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). The first verse of the song 'You laid Aside Your Majesty' by Noel Richards is as follows:

You laid aside Your majesty

Gave up everything for me

Suffered at the hands of those You had created

You took away my guilt and shame

When You died and rose again

Now today You reign

And heaven and earth exalt You

Jesus gave up everything for us - His majesty, glory, splendour. The Bible says, "He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]." (2 Corinthians 5:21, AMP). Jesus died for us on the cross of Calvary, reconciling us with God the Father. He accomplished this because He gave up Himself. Jesus surrendered all to the Father, so that He would become the perfect sacrifice, bringing forth the salvation of mankind. Will you give God everything? Is Jesus not worthy of you and everything you have? A life totally surrendered to God becomes a vessel of honour in the hands of God. 

When Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow Him, they left their nets (their source of income) and followed Him. Do you think Jesus has not got the right to ask you for everything? He has for He created you. If we cannot give God everything, then our relationship with Him is very questionable. I have always wondered how the rich young man felt when Jesus told him to sell all he possessed, give the money to the poor and then follow Him. 
"When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing; sell everything that you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk]." (Luke 18:22, AMP)

Jesus demanded everything in the case of the young rich ruler and He is still demanding everything today. In the case of Peter, Luke 18 gives us an insight into his thinking. Peter had left everything and followed Jesus and said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” (Luke 18:28).  It is impossible to serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).  Will you leave everything and follow Jesus?

Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians, "But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life]. But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him—a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ, " (Philippians 3:7-8 , AMP). Paul counted everything as loss for the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus and serving Him. You see, when we surrender all to Jesus, we follow His perfect example as His disciples.

Jesus emphasised on the importance of giving everything to God. He said in Luke 14:33, "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not [carefully consider the cost and then for My sake] give up all his own possessions." (AMP). The seriousness of this statement cannot be overemphasised . Basically, no one can be a disciples of Jesus if he or she refuses to give up his or her possessions. In a world that thrives in self-aggrandizement, this is not palatable. many Christians struggle with this because they have allowed Satan and carnality to draw their attention away from God. Every Christian must view whatever he or she has as belonging to God and be prepared to go, say or do whatever God is calling them to at any moment in time. We must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and not be deceived by the glittery things of this world. 

There are rewards for giving up everything, as Peter learned. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Later, Peter was led by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to many people leading them to Jesus; he was received by many people but also suffered for his faith in Jesus. It can be said that Peter eventually served God faithfully and fruitfully. That will be your portion when you surrender completely to the Lord God Almighty.

God deserves everything, not just some things but everything. Will you give Him everything today? May the good Lord enable you to dedicate your life to Him this holy week, so that you will become a vessel in His hands for the salvation of souls and expansion of His Kingdom.

A songwriter, Israel Houghton, penned the following lyrics of his song 'Everything'

Everything, everything, Lord, You are everything to me;

Everything, everything, Lord, You are everything to me.

My treasure, my priority, Who can compare to You;

Great is the measure of Your royalty,

Oh Morning Star, You truly are everything.

If God is everything to you, you will give Him everything. God bless you as you heed His Word.