Yesterday, as some folks in our fellowship prayed for me, I had one of those rare times when I heard the Lord very directly speak to my inner man.
He said I had laid up many treasures in heaven from a life spend serving Him and His people.
He let me know I could begin a new season of life, in transition toward my life to come, with the settled peace of His pleasure and honor.
Then He asked, however, if I was willing to spend those treasures, over whatever remaining time He chooses to give me, by investing them in others?
Was I willing to take all that I had learned, and all that I had become, and give myself and my accumulated spiritual riches away – without any rights or expectations?
I teared up, and told the Lord I never cared about honor, treasure or reward in this life or in any life to come. I just wanted to honor and serve Him.
To me, that has always been my greatest privilege.
And so I responded, “Of course, yes Lord.”
“Here I am, let me spend my accumulated treasure on others.”
A peace washed over me, and the Lord said OK.
That’s all, just OK.
Investing His Kingdom
The Kingdom of God is an exquisite pearl – and a treasure in the field – which comes at great price.
Some of us have paid a high price for it.
The Lord understands, and takes pleasure in graciously honoring us for all we have given to obtain His Kingdom.
But God sometimes asks if we are willing to then give His Kingdom – with all the things we’ve come to understand, come to be and come to rightly expect – to others.
I Give Myself Away
Later, during our time of fellowship together, we sang “I give myself away”.
All I could do was silently cry in gratitude for the privilege of doing so.
~ Jim
Crossroad Junction 
Awesome word to you Jim!
It is in giving away our lives for the sake of others that we find life according to Jesus!
So many seem so preoccupied with hanging on and squeezing everything they can get from others.
May the Lord enable you by His grace to live more fully than you have ever lived Jim by following in His footsteps to give what He has given you away to others as freely as He gave of Himself.
Carlos
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Enjoyed reading this. May you continue to walk in His peace.
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Awesome word, a true word, Jim!
When I contemplate how Jesus left his home in heaven, giving up all his riches and more, to live as a human with all our afflictions and limitations, I cannot even begin to fathom what he experienced. And then I think of our Father giving up his son, and again I cannot fathom the depths of his heart as he watched his son maligned, tortured, spit upon, and murdered.
It seems the predators in the pulpit, the charismatic ones who take the girls, the glory, and the gold, are the ones people admire and treat with respect and courtesy. And then I think of John 13-17 and how Jesus warned us it would be this way, for those who choose to lay down their lives for others.
Thank you for your sacrifice, Jim… please don’t ever give up!
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Isn’t that what He calls each one of us to do? But it seems to take years of dealing to get us to that place. That’s why the latter years are so much richer than the former. He forgives the self serving sins of our youth and brings us into maturity where our hearts are broken for others. But not only broken…we have the great privilege to surrender all to be His hand extended. I was young but now am old and nothing in the former days compares to this!
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So… do you think it was just a test?…and that you passed and it’s over since you said “of course, yes”… and you don’t actually have to give it *all* away … just be willing to…or…is he preparing you… transitioning to actually let go of all your treasures?… how do you feel about poverty?… for yourself, I mean.
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I don’t know. Time will tell.
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The oft quoted idea of the Lord’s call for every Christian to relinquish the hold material possessions and the desire to live the good life have on us being just a test that we won’t ever have to follow through on is more often than not just an excuse for hanging on to our lives.
I am not saying that is the case in your life Tam. Only that in general that most people, in my experience, use that “testing” only idea as a convenient way to feel justified in avoiding the hard call of the Lord Jesus to an all or nothing faith in Him.
Carlos
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