"All In ..."

“Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Warren Buffett is widely regarded as the best business mind of our time.  He’s written books on wise investing, moreover, he’s lived it.  A $5,000 investment in Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett’s company) in 1965 would be worth over $29 million today.  Oh, if only ...

I tend to be a fairly conservative investor; conversely, a good friend of mine is an “all in” kind of guy.  While I like to contain downside risk, he confidently pursues upside potential while knowing and managing the additional risk that goes with it.  In this world, we cannot have great reward without assuming great risk, nor can we contain risk without also capping our future investment returns.  We have to pick our spot along this risk-reward continuum.

In God’s Kingdom, however, the “economy” is different.  There, if we sow generously, we will reap generously and, if we sow sparingly, we will also reap sparingly.  There, the risk lies in not being “all in.”  In God’s Kingdom, who buries entrusted treasure in the ground so as not to lose it, he is the one who loses it all.

What seed do we sow in the economy of God?  We invest all we have and all we are.  We give of our time and our earthly possessions.  We use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus Christ, though risen, will still be outwardly manifested through his body – the Church – in the world today.  We sow faith, hope and love, as these three will remain throughout eternity.

Then what, in turn, do we reap?  Paul tells us in today’s passage:  all grace will abound to us ... we will have all we need in all things and at all times ... we will abound in every good work ... he will increase the seeds that we sow, and he will increase the harvest of our righteousness ... we will be made rich in every way so that we will be generous in every way.

And people will praise God because of our service!  Isn’t that what it’s all about?  Aren’t we here for God’s glory?  And isn’t it amazing that, in giving up our kingdom for his, we too are blessed more than when we lived for ourselves?

Let us not live lives that culminate in, “Oh, if only ...”, rather may each one of us agree with one another to sow all we have in the Kingdom of God.  Let us freely and boldly be “all in” today and every today.  God will provide the returns.

In giving of ourselves to others, we lose nothing.  In giving of ourselves to God, we gain everything.

Where freedom lives ...

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  2 Corinthians 3:17

Through his letter to the Corinthians, Paul explained to all people and for all time that, until Jesus lives in us, we exist as though a veil stands between us and God.  Hid from his glory, our minds are “made dull” and we do not know him.  We relate to him only in the “Biblical legalese” of what we should and should not do.  We are, on one hand, consumed with earning our own righteousness through his Law and, on the other hand, frustrated by a down-deep knowledge that we cannot attain it, no matter how hard we try.

In Christ, however, the veil is taken away.  Our spirits see his glory and live!  We are free!  Liberated!  The torn veil lies in a wadded heap behind us, and the glory of the God of liberty shines upon us!

So we ask, “From what have we been set free?” And “To what ends do we live in freedom?”

Alive in Christ, and completely forgiven in him, we are ...

... free from belittling others in vain attempts to elevate ourselves by comparison, and
           free to see them as people just like us, fellow sojourners in need of grace.
... free from enslavement to the cycle of retaliation, and
           free to respond in peace and grace to those who offend us.
... free from conforming to the expectations of others in search of their conditional approval, and
           free simply to be who the God who first loved us created us to be.
... free from reigning over the petty fiefdoms of our own imaginations, and
           free to thrive as servants under the kingship of Him who wields all power in perfect love.
... free from envy over what we do not have, and
           free to celebrate with others the good gifts God distributes as he pleases.
... free from Satan’s harsh accusations of fault, and
           free to trust in the Spirit's love as he sculpts us into Jesus’ likeness.
... free from uncertainty of our salvation, and
           free to share with others our sure and certain hope of eternal life in Christ.
... free from treasuring “things” that we will one day leave behind, and
           free to build up treasures that are ours when we rise in him.
... free from the futility of endeavors of temporary consequence, and
           free to live lives of love and truth, bearing fruit of eternal value.
... free from wandering directionless paths of our own making, and
           free to follow in faith and obedience as Jesus illumines our way.
... free from the foolishness of our will, and
           free to say in complete confidence, “Thy will be done.”

Our freedom has purpose: to give God the glory that is his, and to love others in what we think, say and do.

Question to think about:  How have you experienced liberty in “the Spirit of the Lord”?