Jesus, All that I Am is Yours

Follow Jesus

“Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?’”
(Luke 9:23-25, NLT).

Jesus told the crowd that being his disciple would mean turning away from self, taking up a cross, and then following him. The initial decision to “follow” Jesus is an eternal life-changing decision. From that point, the believer is no longer his or her own; that person belongs to Christ. You’re no longer yourself, you belongs to Christ. But recognizing and confessing belief in Jesus as the Messiah is only the beginning of discipleship. True disciples actively follow Jesus “daily.” This means taking his road of self-denial and self-sacrifice. Jesus walks ahead, providing an example, and he stands with his followers as encourager, guide, and friend.

But believers must be willing to make the pursuit of God more important than the selfish pursuit of pleasure, giving up the goal of gaining “the whole world.” Those who follow Jesus will discover what it means to live abundantly now and to have eternal life later. K.P. Yohannan in his book Living in the Light of Eternity, writes, “With life in Christ, my self is no longer the one that directs me and dictates to me. Now it is Christ, His will and His desire, living and acting through me. Jesus had asked us to love Him supremely, more than anything or anyone. But the questions still remain: How do we follow Christ? How do we live out this life? This can only happen through an all-out surrender of ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. It means acknowledging the lordship of Christ in our lives, not just in theory but in practice. This is why the habit of compartmentalizing our lives must end. All of me, all that I am, belongs to Christ.”

 Think about this: Giving up the “world” to gain Christ is like exchanging sands for golds! Yet many prefer the bad deal, trading the pleasures of this life for their souls. No amount of money, power, or status can buy back a lost soul. Believers must be willing to make the pursuit of God more important than the selfish pursuit of pleasure. Following Christ means turning from self, taking up the cross, and staying close to the Saviour. Let Jesus’ question ringing in our heart, “What do you benefit of you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroy?”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Gives in Abundance even Beyond Our Wildest Expectations

“Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!”
(Matthew 14:19-21, NLT).

Jesus, acting as the host of the soon-to-be banquet, took the loaves and fish, thanked God beforehand for the provision he was about to give, and then broke the loaves – and the miracle occurred in Jesus’ hands. He gave the bread to his disciples to then give “to the people.” He did the same thing with the fish. The disciples acted as waiters (reminds me of doing part-time as waiter at the Hilton and Riverside Hotel), taking the bread and fish, distributing it, and then returning to Jesus to get more. They continued to serve the crowd until everyone had had enough to eat.

What an amazing miracle. Before the eyes of the disciples and the gathered crowd, the small offering of food had somehow multiplied so that everyone had more than enough to eat. Through this miracle, God was authenticating Jesus as his Son and portraying the generous blessings of the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as God had provided manna to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16) and had multiplied oil and flour for Elijah and the widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:7-16) and oil for Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-7), he was providing bread for the people on this day.

The people, especially those far from the scene, probably couldn’t see Jesus multiply the loaves and fish. On the other hand, they had been watching Jesus perform miracles all day. The disciples had also seen the healings, yet even they wondered about Jesus’ ability to provide food for them and the crowd. Jesus took that small donation and increased it to an incredible amount, plus leftovers! (“…twelve baskets of leftovers”). God can do anything. He can, and will, multiply what we give to him – beyond our wildest expectations. Think about this: God gives in abundance. If we take the first step in making our time, abilities, and other resources available to God, he will show us how greatly we can be used to advance God’s Kingdom.

“If we just give God the little that we have,

We can trust Him to make it go around”
(Gloria Gaither)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Annie: Expect His Abundance

Dear Annie,

I miss you. But let this note become a reminder for us to stay focus on the Lord. Lord Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). When Jesus talks of the abundant life, is He talking about material riches or earthly fame? Hardly. The Son of God came to this world, not to give it prosperity, but to give it salvation. Salvation. Thankfully for us, Christians, our Saviour’s abundance is both spiritual and eternal; it never falters – even if we do – and it never dies. We need only to open our minds and hearts, to repent of our sins, to look to Him, and His grace become ours.

God’s gifts are available to all, but they are not guaranteed; those gifts must be claimed by those who choose to follow Jesus. As believers, we are free to accept God’s gifts, or not; that choice, and the consequences that result from it, are ours and ours alone.

As we go about our daily lives, may we accept God’s promise of spiritual abundance, and may we share it with a world in desperate need of the Master’s healing touch in our workplace, community and home. Abundant living may or may not include material wealth (Thanks God for everything!), but abundant living always includes the spiritual riches that you and I receive when we obey God’s Word. “If we were give all we wanted here,” writes Elisabeth Elliot, “our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.” May our focus is always on the eternal. Annie, God give Himself to us – Jesus Christ – and in Him we can have abundant life! Amen.

I miss you

Your Mr,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.