A More Excellent Way part 3
The carnal mind thinks getting is the way to go. But there's a more excellent way. And His name is Jesus. His name is love. His name is giving. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. And I absolutely believe that because I've experienced it. But here's my focus for today: While it IS more blessed to give than receive, you can't give UNTIL you receive. The economy of the Kingdom is, "Receive it and release it." Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. The Apostle Paul said it like this, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3). He delivered what he had received. That's how it works. We don't deliver IN ORDER to receive. We deliver because we HAVE received. Remember the New Commandment? Love one another as Jesus loves us. We are only expected to love... as we are loved of Him. That's so excellent because it takes all of the emphasis off of us and puts it squarely where it belongs: On Jesus. It's not what we do, it's what He did on the cross. And on the cross Jesus gave the greatest expression of love that a man can give; He laid down His life for us. So that's our reasonable service. To present our bodies as living sacrifices and to lay down our lives for each other. And I'm not saying you have to physically die like Jesus did. It may come to that, there are lots of martyrs in history that have given their lives for the Gospel, but there are lots of ways to lay down your life. To me it comes down to simply putting the needs (and wants) of others before your own. Loving people means giving yourself to them. That's what God did. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son FOR the world and TO the world. He gave HIMSELF to us. He gave LOVE to us. That's the more excellent way. Not taking, but giving. Jesus preached a lot about taking care of the poor. And I think He was trying to show us a practical way to love. Give something to someone who has nothing. Give to someone that could never repay you. And understand that it's not about being repaid. Understand that when you give... it isn't lost. It's shared. And when something is shared that's when it really becomes powerful. Let me say it like this: It's not the truth that sets you free. It's the truth you KNOW that sets you free. So if you know it... throw it. Don't be afraid to lose what you've got by giving it away. Because we are connected to the source. God's love is never ending. You can't lose it by using it. But on the other hand, if you just horde it up and keep it to yourself, then you never really get to experience it at all. It's better to give than to receive, because by giving you share the love. By giving you make others happy, and that's where true happiness comes from. It's IN you, and when you let it out it gets in OTHERS too. And then THEY can let it out. And so on and so on forever and ever amen!