Raising children provides daily instruction into principles that are at play in the Kingdom of God. The parent/child motif serves regularly (for those who pay attention while they raise their offspring) as an avenue to learn much about God’s desires for His own children. Observing my two as they interact with one another reveals to me constant life lessons concerning how the children of God get along (or fail to do so) with one another. My little girl, Alicia, is a gentle, easy going young lady, much like her mother. Her brother, five years her junior, is more akin to an industrial bulldozer with no steering controls and an endless tank of fuel. It’s been a while since I’ve said it but I tell people that Alicia and Landon are nicknamed Wonder and Thunder. The girl, a dreamer and nurturer. The boy, discerning and engaged. They do have one thing in common, however, that Amy and I address diligently in hope that one day they will be free from this ugly common bond. What is it? They both struggle with putting the other before themselves. Yes, my kids are beautiful and precious to us but, at heart, they are sinners who have a tenacious selfishness within. Just like you. Just like me.
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” – Proverbs 11:24-25 {ESV}
Our bibles speak plainly, with absolutely no mystery whatsoever, that the children of God are made to be givers. Our nature at birth is that of a taker and God reverses this through the power of the Gospel. Visit a nursery or a preschool full of 2-5 year-olds and you will easily see that the motto of each child is “MINE!” Children have an instinct to find, grasp, hold and hide the objects of their desire. It’s not uncommon to see one of them whack another on the head with a toy whose ownership is being presently contested. Those who serve in these classrooms and nurseries are one part instructor and one part referee/lifeguard. The human impulse towards selfishness is powerful and lurks in each of our hearts for all of our days but, when someone is brought to Christ for salvation, the Spirit of God takes up residence within them and things begin to change. This is a cardinal doctrinal truth – that we who are saved are indwelt by God and, because of this, the very nature of God begins to transform us into His own likeness. This process of sanctification will not be fully completed until we see Jesus Christ face to face but it would be the height of ignorance to proclaim that receiving Christ does not result in a changed disposition. This clear and ongoing transformational work in us by God is often seen in the area of our desire to be sacrificial.
Because the Giver lives in you, you will become one who releases. The sponge who once soaked in all he could becomes the sponge that now wrings out all he can. The well is unsealed and our lives invite others to come and drink in from our waters. Clenched fists become helping hands. Fears of losing are transformed into concerns over our keeping too much for ourselves. Time becomes something we think about as we choose to redeem it in ways that serve others and bring God pleasure. Grace received now results in grace extended as we find our inner-self delighting after the truth of God. The supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on His cross grows further in us from a theological linchpin unto a motivating example about how we now desire to live our lives. We awake one day and we discern that we are now taking much more satisfaction in spending our lives for others than we were in saving our lives for ourselves. We can forgive at our own expense, serve unto our own tiredness, and invest in others unto our own bottom-line decrease of financial wealth. Very commonly put, “It is no longer about you. It is no longer about me.” God makes us to be givers and there is a liberation in this which results in greater degrees of joy, peace and purpose.
My encouragement for you today is to look for significant ways that you can give some of yourself away for the good of another. You don’t have to wait for the big, bold and dramatic opportunities. I’m not talking about selling all your earthly goods and moving to Kenya to help the destitute (unless, of course, God is leading you to do so). Don’t sound a trumpet prior to your acts of sacrifice – no, secretly between you and your Savior purposefully invest something of you into the life of another. Go ahead and enrich somebody, just make sure it has clear opportunity to cost you something. In doing so you enter into to two Kingdom purposes that God has for you: 1) you are putting to death the inclination to make your life about yourself and what others can bring to you and 2) you are partnering with Christ in His great commitment to bless others. He will delight in using you in others’ lives and you will discover, as you give away as much of yourself as you possible can, that Proverbs 11:24-25 isn’t merely ancient, biblical truth. You will learn that this truth is a 21st Century gateway into personal joy.
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” – Proverbs 11:24-25 {ESV}