How Sold Out Are You?
The Bible is pretty clear about just how much of our lives—time, energy, thoughts, and passions—should be directed toward fulfilling our purpose. Some might think merely attending a weekend service is giving enough of themselves to God. Others might see a deeper commitment of attending, serving, and tithing as the acceptable measure of giving. Unfortunately, the idea of compartmentalizing life into “church” and “personal” categories misses the point altogether; God is after our everything. The Bible says, “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price” (1 Cor. 6:19–20, NLT). Remember Mike’s eternal words, “If He isn’t Lord of all, He isn’t Lord at all.” The standard has been set and the requirement is simple: give it all you’ve got!
There is a repeated theme in Scripture that is worth mentioning known as the law of sowing and reaping. Some have identified this prevailing tenet as the law of divine retribution. It’s pretty simple … you get out of life what you put into it. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a farmer, telling the church in Corinth, “Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give” (2 Cor. 9:6–7, NLT). Although the context for these verses is the giving of finances, the principle of sowing and reaping applies to every area of your life, which includes fulfilling your purpose.
If you want to see a few people’s lives changed with Christ’s message of redemption and eternal life, then only tell a few people about it. If you want to see God’s presence operating occasionally in your day, then only say a few prayers. If you want to live an average life, then just devote an average part of your life to pursuing average greatness.
However, if you want to know and see God’s Word in full operation in your everyday life, you must ingest it every day. If you desire for God to speak to you and use you in great exploits, you must spend quality time in prayer listening and being prompt to obey every time He speaks. If you want God to bless your finances beyond measure, give beyond measure, release funds far beyond what is comfortable. And if you want to fulfill your purpose, you have to give it all you’ve got. It’s the law of divine retribution; God requires all!
You see, you will end up devoting your time, energy, and life to the things you perceive to bring you the greatest return. Solomon, who had everything he could have possibly wanted, reflected back on his life, looking over the sum of all his mistakes and successes and made one sweeping, final, poignant statement about life: “Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Eccles. 12:13–14, NLT).
Jesus gave His all, and He requires that we also give nothing less than whole-hearted dedication to Him and His purposes. In essence, we need to be like a postage stamp, stuck in our place until we arrive at our ultimate and final destination.
