The Cost part 2
Nothing worthwhile happens on accident. It must be purposeful. And, quite frankly, it must cost something. Look at 1 Chronicles 21:24, "And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost." It's a sacrifice. That's what it comes down to. Now, remember, we saw yesterday that Jesus said nobody who gives up anything for the kingdom of God's sake will not receive manifold more in this present time. Because what we're "giving up" is love. And we are connected to the unlimited source of love. The more you give the more you have. You don't deplete it by giving it away. You increase it. You manifest it in the world. But here's the cost: If I do what you want, I can't do what I want (unless it's what we both want). So the cost is... yourself. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Not trying to get, get, get. And, as king David said, not taking from others even to give to the Lord. Because whatever you do to the least of them you do unto Him. By taking from people you ARE taking from the Lord. By giving to people you are giving to the Lord. How do we love God? By loving people. The cost is... ourselves. Putting others first. Esteeming others higher than ourselves. Not thinking less of ourselves... but simply thinking of ourselves less. Not being selfish, being selfless. Not trying to take care of ourselves--and, listen, you DO have to take care of business. Paul wrote, "If you don't work, you don't eat." I'm not talking about the day to day practice of living--but taking care of others. If you have a coat, good. You won't freeze to death. But if you have TWO coats, and you see someone who needs a coat... that's an easy fix. It cost you a coat. Yes. But when you're living out of your abundance, the cost isn't too high. It's worth it. People are worth it. So when you think about, "What does God want me to do?" The answer is, "He wants you to love people." But He wants you to love people in the way that THEY need to be loved. Giving what you've got, but making sure you give it in a way that it can be received. If you try to shove Jesus--God, love--down people's throats they will choke on it. They will throw it up. You don't have to be overpowering. Sometimes the least you can do is the most you can do. Sometimes people don't want you to "fix" their problems. Sometimes they just want you to listen to them. And in that case, the cost is your time and your attention, right? But I'm telling you... it's a small price to pay. It's worth it. Being there for people. Having somebody's back. That's so powerful. A little thing that isn't really little at all. I think what I'm trying to express in this Rant series is that loving people ISN'T free... but it's worth it. A sacrifice will always cost you something. But when it's a love sacrifice it's a small price to pay. Giving everything you have and everything you are is the highest price you can pay. Giving it all you've got. But when you are so full of God's love that you can't keep it in... paying the price is releasing the love... and it's awesome. You end up not having all of the things you don't need. And you end up will only the thing (love, and all that comes with it) that you do need!