“One thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,
And you will have treasure in heaven.” – Mark 10:21
Well, only one more month until I depart for the mission field. I’m scheduled to leave on October 7th, and I’m over half way there in my support raising efforts. Praise God! I’ve received nearly $9,000 in donations and pledges thus far! Please be in prayer that I may soon be fully supported. If you would like to make any further donations, make checks payable to Adventures In Missions, mail payments to the following address, and be sure to include my name in the memo:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
You can also make your contribution online at danlidwin.theworldrace.org. Just click the “Support Me” tab on the left hand column and follow the instructions thereafter.
On several occasions throughout the day, you and I are prone to hear the rancorous noise of television commercials telling us to buy this and buy that and then we will surely be overjoyed. However, our Savior prescribes a much different method to attain satisfaction. Christ tells us that we are actually burdened with too many good things. And these good things that we cling to are more than just money. We often hoard our resources, our gifts, and our time. But, whenever we give generously, and do so cheerfully, we begin to see how misguided it was to selfishly hold on to the abundance God has given us.
Listen to the words Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15: “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.’” Here, Paul was asking the Corinthian believers to share what they had with the impoverished believers in Jerusalem, in order that no one would have too much or too little. This concept of downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, Christ-like, and selfless, but is rarely found in our culture today.
I must admit that I myself have difficulty with the idea of being responsible for the needs of others outside my home. I cringe whenever I hear anything similar to the words, “Spread the wealth.” Yet we often forget that spreading the wealth is exactly what Christ had in mind for His Church. Scripture does not commend a forced communism, but rather a Spirit-led volunteerism among the Church. Living in community, by helping to meet the needs of those around us, is foundational for living the Christian life and taking Christ’s words seriously.
And another wonderful thing happens when we give away the excess in our lives – our faith is strengthened exponentially! In Luke 9, when Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the good news, He told them to “take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.” Why would He not allow them to bring some extra supplies, or some extra money just in case? Because He was simply teaching His disciples to put their trust in Him and Him only.
So how about you. What are you doing right now that requires faith? That question can be quite humbling. It’s a stunning reminder of how far we’ve strayed from our Savior’s arms when we can’t think of anything in our lives that truly requires genuine faith. Would our daily lives really look any different if we didn’t believe in a sovereign and powerful God? In a sense, we are often caught claiming to be Christians, but living like atheists. In a world that offers home owner’s insurance and 401k’s, we must confess that it’s hard to live by faith. Do you rest easy at night because your portfolio is impressive, because you have a state-of-the-art security system, or because you’ve been given a bonus at work? Or do you rest easy because the Lord is your God? When we have so much, and feel safe and secure, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the One who has the power to give and take away. In many ways, we have blindly and unintentionally embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to what Christ has taught us.
In an effort to practice what I preach, my Nissan Pathfinder is up for sale, my credit card has been canceled, and my cell phone service will end next month. And letting go never felt so good! I still have a long ways to go and many habits to kick. But in order to hold on tighter to the Saving One, we have to lose our grip on everything else that has our attention. Even still, I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings!
So join me, will you? Let’s stop trying to find ourselves in this temporary home, and instead let’s lose ourselves in an unending sea of God’s amazing grace. Go ahead, start today. We’ve been given permission to let go with reckless abandon…
For His Renown,
Dan Lidwin
