I'd first like to thank John for causing me to ponder his point and now the source of this blog entry.
Hmm, so we have nothing, absolutely nothing (except one thing) that we can truly give to God, because in reality everything is His. He created everything, and everything exists for His glory (John 1:3; Romans 11:36). Our life is His really. Our health is His. Our possessions are His. The world...His.
God promises us so much doesn't He? He will never leave us nor forsake us, and we are granted this wonderful thing called freewill; allowing us to chose what to do things for God and in His honor:
We can build monuments to God.
We can give away all our wealth to God.
We can read the Word of God for hours on end.
We can translate the Word of God into every known tongue and dialect.
We can feed the poor.
We can tend to the sick.
We can let people live with us.
We can donate cash to a charity.
We can give our old clothes to the poor.
These can all be great things and also can be things we do with the wrong motive, for our own pride and sense of worth, and for our own glory...and none of these are the core thing God really wants from us
As John pointed out so eloquently; there really is only one thing we truly own, that is ours, and ours alone to give to God. And interestingly enough it is the one thing He simply wants from us.
Our heart. For us to choose to give God our heart... the core of who we are given over, surrendered to, living sacrificed to God. Out of this position can come many of the other things that are gifts, fruit, disciplines, forms of worship, sacrifice, and blessings to the Lord. When we give God our heart we give God His rightful place in our heart...seeking first His Kingdom, loving Him with all that we are and with all that we have. Choosing to serve God rather than choosing to serve "other stuff".
So, here is a challenge that John shared as well as his point that the only thing we really own that we can give to God is our heart:
Try going 7 days (it will make one weak/week) with out using the "mine" or "my" type of personal possessive pronouns (I hope I got this right).
So, I can't say...I am going out to MY car and driving to MY apartment. The stereo is MINE. That is MY money and that paycheck is MINE too.
Let's track our progress via the comments for 7 days.... FUN STUFF!
2 comments:
Dang it! I said MY puppy today. I was leaving an event I was helping out at and I said I had to go home and take care of MY puppy.
This challenge has been interesting from the perspective of the focus in our lives shifting away from us and up to God.
In thinking about this issue for the last week, I think that if someone is able to live their lives practicing the belief that our hearts are all we own and all that we can give to God, the sadness and grief that come with loss of "things" and loss of people close to you(death, moving/separation, differences) diminshes to a negligible amount because we have already, in our hearts, given them up to God.
In my small group during the thursday night bible study, I shared with my group that for me, the task of not "worrying" is the most difficult. And what I have discovered since Thursday, is that the root of most of my worries, is fear of loss -- loss of income, loss of my new place next year if I somehow get fired and can't pay my mortgage, loss of respect from colleagues if I end up sucking at my job, loss of friendships due to circumstances beyond my control, etc. -- I told them, since becoming stronger in my faith, I have experienced what I call "pockets of peace" -- little moments in time, 5 to 15 minutes at a time (usually after a church service or a silent prayer or a good talk with a friend), where my shoulders are no longer burdened, my eyes are no longer blinded to the possibilites, my mind is no longer cluttered with a lot of unnecessary "stuff", and my heart is no longer heavy. I figure, even if it lasts only for a short while, at least now, I know what "it" can feel like -- and it gives me something to focus on in my daily struggles and my daily "walk" in God's kingdom.
ANYWAYS -- see, now you can't say noone ever reads or comments on this thing! Then again, it just so happens I have a lot on my mind and I have insomnia right now!
Thinking "MY" is so automatic! What worked for me was as soon as I would think "my" parking space, etc. I would switch it around and say "not my". It did affect my thought process because then I would have to think "Well whose?" Marty's suggestion of "my father's" would put things in perspective, and I would feel less possessive and less angry when I relinquished the "myness" of things. I felt that this exercise is a step towards social justice too, because it made me more grateful and more "other-minded".
I also have been thinking more about Jan's comments on "needs v. wants". Asking myself the question "Is this a need or a want?" was useful from deciding if I really need that mocha latte or even nonmaterial needs like appreciation. Just asking the question makes me realize that the answer is not automatically YES, but is often NO, and is usually my choice whether to fulfill it. We need not be driven by our wants. I find my true needs are fulfilled, and any I find lacking can be obtained when I bring them to God. Everything else is God's overflowing bounty and belongs justly to Him. Praise God!
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