After I found myself at a crossroads of indifference, God inspired me to write the lyrics, “When you give it all up, then you’ll find it.”
I had lived full-tilt in my own self-absorbed world, never caring much about making a positive difference for anyone except myself and my tribe.
Thoughts of my family, my business, my problems, and my pursuit of happiness for me — these dominated my life.
So of course I became apathetic, as God didn’t create us to live this way.
We often justify living indifferently to the needs of others because we measure our good deeds by those who do less than we do.
We are measuring our actions by a false standard.
Jesus set the gold standard.
He said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).
If we think about the sacrificial way Jesus lived, our efforts aren’t even on the scale.
He lived with the bare minimum for Himself in order to make an eternal difference for others.
Yet the thought of giving up everything for Christ was not very appealing to me.
Why?
Because I wasn’t living in reality.
Related: We Can’t Let Evil Steal Our Peace Away
If I truly believed that my selfish lifestyle would make me happy, why was I even pretending to be a Christian?
Clearly I didn’t grasp the heartbeat of the Gospel, which had endowed me with eternal treasure.
Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:32-34).
When we are willing to give everything up, God gives us everything.
Related: God Gives His Power to Those Who Are Humble
The challenge to “give it all up” is actually an invitation “to find it.”
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” said Jesus (Matthew 6:33).
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