True Blessings

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

John 3:16

John 3:16 is probably the most known recognized verse in the Bible and the cornerstone of the faith. But it also tells us what God does; He loves, gives, saves and rewards. For this blog I will focus on giving, or better yet, sacrifice. Mother Teresa, who I love and adore, says it best: “A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, and must empty ourselves. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than your weakness.” From Genesis to Revelation, you will not find any of the Saints who did not give. As it is written, “It is better to give than to receive.” Now when I say give, I am not by any means referring to money or possessions, but our hearts.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those who heart is loyal to Him.”

The world is full of people waiting for someone to give, whether it be a word of encouragement, or for us to just an ear by listening. As it is written “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established. That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” I remember on my second missionary journey to Honduras, as I was leaving one village in the mountains; I heard a man cry out in an upper village “Man of God, we need a word too.” Hearing that made me pause and reflect that I needed to give everyone a word of encouragement, whether it be Honduras or the most remote corners of the earth. But it would only be possible through the continued giving of my heart to Jesus to use me.

Now giving, or a sacrifice, will cost because we can’t have anything or be doing anything more than we love God. William McDowell said it best in his song “I Give Myself Away.” True blessings comes when we know that we can not love and not give. The Bible is the greatest account of that. Our Lord Jesus Himself became flesh, and taught us how to give because He loved us. As it is written “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” So if we meet God half way, to love and to give; God will do the saving and rewarding.