In life we’re given so many opportunities to flesh out faith-filled, daily obedience. In the blink of an eye, however, our time on earth expires, and we cross into eternity. Time evades our grasp like sand flowing through clenched fists. Still, in God’s sovereignty, He allows such freedom for us to learn and navigate life despite our limited perspective. Because of this we’re forced to ask ourselves: How will I live my life? How will I tread the path God has laid before me?
You might expect today’s Spiritual Discipline of Giving to focus on money, finances, and how gracious we should be with our earnings; but that’s not where I feel God is leading us. I believe that this beautiful Spiritual Discipline possesses depth that some of us are unwilling to recognize.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to GIVEyour bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” – Romans 12:1
What if the foundation of our worship to God was discovered in the sacrificial giving of our bodies to Him? What if, in our hearts and minds, the giving of who we are and what we do in every moment were to hold treasured value? By no means am I saying that our financial/material tithes and alms have no value, but I think the heart of giving can be found in a deeper place that’s often overlooked. Scripture acknowledges and calls us to lay down our lives as gifts for others (John 15:13, John 12:25, Eph. 5:25, Gal. 2:20, Phil. 2:17). If our heart’s intent is to be more like Him and to live a consistent life of worship, we must give more than just our money and possessions. We must trainand discipline ourselves (1 Cor. 9) to give the parts of our lives that are often the most difficult to relinquish personal rights to:our time, love, support/encouragement, forgiveness, spiritual gift(s), etc. It’s in doing this that we find untapped fulfillment to give an unrestricted life of love. Recognizing opportunities to give and act in bold faith must be our heart’s desire. If we can grasp the eternal value of giving every part of ourselves to Him, our restricted idea of this Spiritual Discipline would begin to fade.
How are you giving of yourself?
The honest, personal answer to this question is vital for those of us who seek to make a difference in this world. Our time is short, and our opportunities are fleeting. Let’s live each day earnestly asking God how we may better surrender our lives as worship to Him. Cause seriously, we’re running out of time.
