“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46.
Many years ago, I watched a YouTube video called “The Keith Green Story – Full.”, which told the story of the conversion of one of Contemporary Christian Music’s most beloved minister, Keith Green. I will not call him an artist, for I know he did not consider himself anything but a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I was listening, one thing kept coming to my mind. He gave all he had and all he was for the work God called him to do. He never held anything back. This intrigued me because I have a tendency to no moderation in what I have passion for. Therefore, when God made it clear to me that I had not given all to Him, I was surprised, confused and humbled.
So, what does it mean to give everything to God? This question can be difficult to answer because it encompasses more than most people think. Many have on their list money, time, talents, etc. However, let’s go further and see other things we may not have thought about. I will start with one God showed me, my view of finances. I get tense and frustrated when our finances get tight. Irritable would be a better word. When I get frustrated, it tells me trust in God and His ways are not my focus, thus I am not working as I need to. After listening to the Keith Green story, God showed me I had to place my finances in His hands. I could not hold this back. It has taken much prayer, but I became more at peace regarding this issue than I had ever been.
Another area God brought to my attention was my dreams and desires. There are many things I wanted to do with my life after I retired. I wanted, and still desire, to go into some form of full time ministry, be that as a pastor, missionary, teacher, etc. I had this dream for quite a while. However, I sometimes felt it may not become a reality. It is times like these I found really frustrating. However, God told me I had to give my dreams and desires to Him. He may have different plans then I do, and I must yield to His plans. We must give God all our possessions, time, talents, as well as our dreams, hopes, hurts, and anything else. If we are Christians, these things are not ours anymore, but His. As Christians, we are not our own as the Apostle Paul stated,
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
If we are not willing to give our all to God, we are placing those things we do not give up above God in our lives. Idolatry goes beyond the worship of false gods. Modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a false god, idolatry is a matter of the heart: pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God if we choose to continue. I am in no way saying anything is specifically wrong. Only if God says no and we do it anyway, or He says do it and we say no. Is it any wonder that God hates it? If there is something we are not willing to give up to God, then that thing is more important to us than He is. To the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, it was his money. To the Pharisees, it was their positions of authority and delusions of being better than anyone else. To Herod, it was the finer things of life and the approval of the powers of Rome. To the learned men on Mars Hill whom Paul introduced to the unknown God, it was their philosophies and extensive love of knowledge. We must search our hearts. Is there anything that pulls us, trying to convince us we have given more than enough and there is no need to give everything else to Him?
Let us take this a step further. If there is something that we are not willing to give up, then it opens the door for the enemy to use it to entice us away from God. Imagine if comfort is something we cannot give up. If we are threatened with the loss of things that give us comfort, we may choose the path of the Rich Young ruler by refusing to give those things away. If our family is more important, then someone threatening them could be our downfall. What is the price, if offered, that would turn us away from God? Do not simply shrug this off with “I would never turn away.” Many have thought the same before their fall. If someone said to you if you do not renounce Christ you or your family will be tortured and killed, would you walk away from God? What if they threatened to starve you, depriving you of food and water? What if they threatened to kill your children in front of your eyes? This was done by the soldiers of Antiochus Epiphanes in Judah around 160 BC. If they were not willing to adopt the gods of Greece thus denying Jehovah who is the true God, they would kill their children one by one, until they were all dead unless they renounced the true God. It is important that we give everything to God and make Him number one in our lives, loving Him more than anyone or anything else; more than life itself. We must always remember God can bring us through all these very difficult situations. We must trust Him, knowing He understands what is right and will guide us, and He can protect those who are being threatened.
Turning this around, what can someone offer us to denounce God? If we have not given all to Him, we could easily be tempted to accept something extremely important and desirable to us. It could be gold or silver, or the return of a loved one. The enemy will use these things and more to lure us into his snare and try to get us to walk away from the Lord. This is especially true during times of weakness. If we desire things of this world above the Lord we can be tempted to be of the world, thinking we are still following God. It can be easy to delude ourselves into thinking God is pleased with us, or that we would give up our desires if we had to, thinking that day will never come. What if it does? We must develop a relationship with God that will allow us to see Him for who He is, a wonderful, loving and powerful being whose love for us transcends everything, one who will never leave or forsake us. It is only when we understand as much as possible and through the power of the Holy Spirit we desire and be capable of giving all to Him in service.
Have we taken the time to examine ourselves as to whether we have died to self and are living entirely for Him? We must pray that God will open our eyes to the things we are holding back and not willing to give to God as a sacrifice of praise to Him. Do this in humility and a true willingness to accept the truth no matter how difficult it is. God will be gentle with us, but He will also reveal things that need adjusting in our lives. He is sanctifying us, conforming us into the image of Christ. As we yield to Him completely in this process, we shall find it easier to give it all, knowing that Christ gave His all for us. And when we do, we will find in giving all we have we gain much more than we give up, like the pearl of great price, in the form of peace, contentment, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Well said!!
Now we must do it!