What If I Give All? 01/13/2007

Brothers and Sisters,

Below, you will find the lyrics to a song that the Lord touched me with about 12 years ago. I pray that all would take the time to read these words carefully and prayerfully. Be willing to step outside the box of traditional ideology and doctrine and allow the Lord to touch our hearts and minds in HIS UNIQUE way.

(Words by Ray Boltz, Music by Ray Boltz and Mark Pay)

He heard the preacher say, A single dime can feed, A hungry boy or girl, With nothing to eat,
So he pulled a dollar, From the pocket of his jeans, And he asked his mama, How many will this feed? She just smiled, And when she told him ten, He reached back again

CHORUS:
What if I give all I have? What will that gift do? My child, a gift like that, Could change the world, It could feed a multitude, He didnt close his eyes, Or turn away, I can see him standing tall, He saw the need, And I can hear him say, What if I give all

Three birthday dollars, Could have bought a special toy, But he reminds me, Of another little boy, Who gave to Jesus, A gift of fish and bread, I wonder if he said

CHORUS (repeat)

And long ago a Father and a Son, Saw the children lost in sin, Can you see the tears,In the Fathers eyes, As Jesus says to him,

What if I gave all I have? What will that gift do? My Son, that gift, Will change the world
It will free the multitudes, What if I give all I have? What will that gift do? My child a gift like that, Could change the world, It could feed a multitude, We cannot close our eyes, And turn away, When we hear His Spirit call, We see the need, Now let Him hear us say,

What if I give all? What if I give all?
{1996 Shepherd Boy MusicASCAP (adm. by Word Music) and Screaming Toad MusicASCAP (adm. by Addison Music).}

What if I give all? What does that mean? How does it affect my life? How far reaching is it? Does it really agree with the scriptures? Am I willing to pay that price?

Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
Mat 16:25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

Luk 14:26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters--[yes] and even his own life also--he cannot be My disciple.
Luk 14:27 Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple.

Mat 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Mat 13:45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,
Mat 13:46 Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.

Mat 5:48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Lev. 19:2, 18.]
Mat 19:21 Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me].

Rom 12:1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

It appears to me that there are many requirements from God that call us to give up EVERYTHING in order to be His disciples. Let us NOT justify what we hang onto. Let us instead be like the apostles who LEFT EVERYTHING and followed Jesus. Their whole lives were RADICALLY CHANGED! They ceased being fishermen and tax collectors. They stopped doing their normal work and began to follow Jesus exclusively. Their whole lifestyle was radically altered from what it had formerly been.

However, as so much of the New Testament speaks of internal changes, so too our inward ways MUST BE RADICALLY CHANGED! Our whole outlook on life MUST BE DIFFERENT. If we have NOT laid aside EVERYTHING we formerly thought, held dear, focused on, wanted, desired, taught, held as a doctrine; if we have not laid down our understandings, doctrines, pre-conceived notions and ideas, abilities, wants, desires, gifts, ministries, our families, friends, our RIGHTS, everything, then we have not become His disciples.

I cannot tell anyone what God wants them to give up or remove from their lives. However I can say that I KNOW that the Lord wants NOTHING between us and Himself; we can have no person, place or thing as precious to us as the Lord is, NOT EVEN our own well-being!

A friend of mine, a dear sister in the Lord sent me an email the other day that was written some 350yrs ago by a saint who LIVED like one. Let me copy that information here to give us an idea of just where WE Stand today.

Afflicted, Tormented, and Destroyed!

Let me give you a little abridgment of the sufferings of some of the early Christians, "of whom the world was not worthy."

1. In the reign of Hadrian the emperor, there were ten thousand Christians crowned with a crowns of thorns, thrust into the sides with sharp lances, and then crucified.

2. Others were so whipped, that their entrails were seen, and afterwards they were thrown upon sharp shells, and then upon sharp nails and thorns. And after all this cruelty, they were thrown to wild beasts to be devoured.

3. Multitudes were banished.

4. Others were pulled apart with wild horses.

5. Some were beaten and racked with bars of iron.

6. Others were cast into loathsome dungeons.

7. Some were burnt in the fire.

8. Others were knocked down and had their brains beaten out with staves and clubs.

9. Some were pricked in their faces and eyes with sharp reeds.

10. Others were stoned to death with stones, as Stephen was.

11. Some were dashed in pieces against millstones.

12. Others had their teeth dashed out of their jaws, and their joints broken.

13. Some were cast down from very high places.

14. Others were beheaded.

15. Some were tormented with razors.

16. Others were slain with the sword.

17. Some were run through with pikes.

18. Others were driven into the wilderness, where they wandered up and down, suffering hunger and cold, and where they were exposed to the fury both of wild beasts, and also to the rage of the barbarous Arabians.

19. Some fled into caves, which their persecutors crammed up with stones, and there they died.

20. Others were trodden to death by the people.

21. Some were hanged on gibbets with a slow fire under them.

22. Others were cast into the sea and drowned.

23. Some were slain by being thrown in mines.

24. Others were hanged by the feet, and choked with the smoke of a small fire, their legs being first broken.

25. Some were covered with oil, and then roasted with a soft fire.

26. Others were hung by one hand, that they might feel the weight of their whole bodies scorching and broiling over burning coals.

27. Some were shot through with arrows, and afterwards thrown into stinking prisons.

28. Others were stripped stark naked, and thrown out in cold, frosty nights; and burnt the next day.

29. In Syria, a company of Christian virgins were stripped stark naked to be scorned by the multitude, then shaved, and then torn in pieces and devoured by beasts.

30. Lastly, many women had the joints of their bodies pulled from another, and their flesh and sides clawed with talons of wild beasts to the bones, and their breasts seared with torches until they died.

And thus you have an account of thirty different ways by which the precious sons and daughters of God have formerly been afflicted, tormented, and destroyed! What heart of stone can read over this list with dry eyes? And now tell me, sirs, whether your sufferings are worth a naming in that day, wherein the sufferings of the precious servants of God in the primitive times are spoken of? Oh, no! Well then, take heed of making molehills mountains, and of crying out, "Is there any sorrow compared to my sorrow; or any sufferings compared to my sufferings?"

Thomas Brooks, "Crown and Glory of Christianity" 1662

How many of us today have the kind of relationship with the Lord that would allow us to face these types of terrors, trials, and tribulations with our faith intact? How many of us even believe God would allow us to face those things? I know there are some segments of Christianity who do not believe God would allow us to face those things. But if that IS the case in our lives, if we do not think God would allow us to face such things, have we really given our all? Have we given up our thoughts, understandings, wants, desires, blessings, etc?

Where do we stand with facing such tortures? Do we have a clue that such things are going on today in parts of the world? Do we have a clue that these type of things WILL INDEED happen in America in the not too distant future? How many of us are ready to face these things at all? How many of us will willingly face these things instead of renouncing our faith?

I do not ask for your answers to these questions. These are things to think about and then PRAY about.

So we are back to the original question. WHAT IF I GIVE ALL? What could result on this earth if I actually give my all? What would happen to the relationships I currently have? How would my life change? What is important to me now and what would be important to me then?

What if I give all? How would I live differently? Would I say different things? What would be in my heart? How would I treat my brothers and sisters? What would be the feelings in my heart? Would I begin to really understand how Jesus felt when He cried over Jerusalem?

Luk 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who continue to kill the prophets and to stone those who are sent to you! How often I have desired and yearned to gather your children together [around Me], as a hen [gathers] her young under her wings, but you would not!
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is forsaken (abandoned, left to you destitute of God's help)! And I tell you, you will not see Me again until the time comes when you shall say, Blessed (to be celebrated with praises) is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! [Ps. 118:26; Jer. 22:5.]

Would I feel the same way about the Church today?

What if I give all? What WOULD that mean?

That is the question each of us must ask. That is the question each of us must decide IF we will answer. IF we decide to answer that question positively, THEN we will begin to understand HIS ways and those that have answered in the same manner as we did.

Until we do answer that we WILL GIVE OUR ALL, we do NOT have the same mind as Jesus did! Nor will we really understand His ways or the scriptures.

A bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk