Freely Give (Um, I Beg Your Pardon?)

Recently I heard someone quote or I read somewhere the words of Jesus from Matthew 10:8 "freely you have received, freely give"  These words are not new to me but I believe that this recent reminder  is right on time because the words have been ringing in my ears and bouncing through my brain since I heard them. 

There is no great theological mystery to this command of Jesus;  but I've been wondering why this is haunting me.  Since I love the dictionary, I decided to once again enlist the help of my friends at Merriam Webster.  They define freely as without restraint or reservation, without hindrance, or not strictly following a model, convention, or rule. 

Oh, my great love, the dictionary, has once again stopped me in my tracks.  I want to say, "Uh, Jesus, I beg Your pardon?  By freely, do you mean really freely or freely so that I'm not uncomfortable or don't have to give anything up that I might really like?" 

Sometimes I have to hear Jesus speak and sometimes I simply know the answer because of the sense that He has gifted me with.  In this case, the latter applies.  Freely means freely.  No questions.  No discussions. 

I am to love without restraint or reservation because I have been loved this way.  I need to love without hindrance because I have been loved this way.  Sometimes I may even have to do something a little crazy to show love; I may have to not strictly follow a model, convention, or rule. I am to love regardless of how I feel, if I want to, or if I think someone deserves my love. 

I love because He first loved me as He reminds me in 1 John 4:9:   God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  So the next time He reminds to love and I give Him feedback, I won't be surprised is He says to me, "Uh, I beg your pardon?"

I’ll Go

First of all I want to give a HUGE shout out to Chesnee for today’s message; it was incredible. Chesnee took a difficult, hard topic and broke it down to terms that we can all understand. Also, if you missed her impression of a revival speaker you missed something priceless.

Chesnee said something in the message today that I *know* but that I have never really thought about. She said (my paraphrase) that “there had to be a penalty paid for sin and Jesus said, ‘I’ll go.’”

Think about it. You are in heaven doing your heaven-thing. Your singing and worshiping God and watching Him enjoy fellowship with His creation. Life is good. There is no time in heaven so this is endless bliss – all of your existence is spent praising the Creator.

And then the fall: One apple. One woman. One serpent. One man. One bite. The silence in heaven is deafening. Sin has entered the world. Man has been separated from God Almighty.

What now?

A lone, loving, confident voice speaks and says, “I’ll go.”

Angels gasp. God sighs. Everyone knew the moment would come but no one wanted to believe it to be true. The plans that have been in place since the beginning of forever are set in motion.

Sin has come. A price must be paid. And it is paid with the blood of the Spotless Lamb, Jesus Christ. The Savior born as a babe in a manager who died a death more agonizing than words can describe to save you and to save me.

Jesus tells us in John 9:4 that “as long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me”.

So what are you going to do about it? As Chesnee also said in the message, “What are you going to do with My Son? What did you do with what I gave you to work with?”

You know what Jesus? I’ll follow the example that you set for me. I’ll go, too.