Give Yourself Away

                Do you like free things? I do. I confess I am a sucker for free things. Each year our family makes a trip to the Minnesota State Fair. As I meander through the different buildings and displays I am always on the lookout for free stuff; pens, pencils, bags, whatever. Free stuff has a way of grabbing our attention.

                For many years I have been gripped by Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:24-26. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “

                I am convinced that Jesus is calling us to give ourselves away for Him. If we would freely give ourselves away for Christ we would change our world. So how do we do that? After all a person can be a martyr only once. There are many ways that we can give ourselves away without making the “ultimate sacrifice.”

                First and most importantly we must give ourselves completely to Christ. We have to give up our desire to be in control and let Jesus direct every aspect of our lives. Most of us give Christ parts of our lives but not everything. We give Christ Sunday morning, maybe a Bible study during the week, and even five minutes each morning before we go to work. We retain control over how we will conduct ourselves at work and when we are having fun and how we act at home. We compartmentalize our lives; offering some parts to Christ and hanging on to others. Jesus said that if we are going to be his disciples we have to die to ourselves and live for Him.

                About now you might be getting nervous, thinking that to give yourself away you have to sell everything and live in poverty in some third world country. Maybe, but probably not. The more that we yield the control of our lives to Christ the more we are free to actually give ourselves away in practical ways. These will seem simple yet they can be very powerful and life changing. Here are a few areas of your life that you can begin giving away right now.

                Give away your time. Someone has observed that time is the new currency of the 21^st century. Today people are far more willing to part with their cash than with their time. One of the greatest gifts that you can give to another person is your time. Look for opportunities every day to give someone the gift of uninterrupted time.

                Give away your attention. We live distracted lives. We are addicted to our cell phones, blackberries, computers, IPods, IPads, and all manner of electronic devises. It is a rare occasion today when people enter into conversation and are not interrupted by the demanding cry of a cell phone.  If you want to make a difference in your world give other people the gift of your undivided attention. Turn off the TV and the cell phone and focus completely on the other person.

                Give away your expertise. We guard our skills and knowledge almost as much as we guard our time. Many people believe that if they freely share their expertise with others they will be at a disadvantage. God gave each of us gifts and talents to share with others, not to keep to ourselves. The more we give away our skills and talents the more refined they will become.

                Give away your stuff. Most of us have more stuff than we need. Everything we have is temporary and will soon pass away. The best way to use our stuff is to share it with others. This may mean literally giving it to someone else. It can also mean leading it to others. Either way, the more loosely we hold onto our stuff the less hold our stuff has on us.

                Every day there are a number of simple ways we can give ourselves away for Christ. I want to challenge you to intentionally give yourself away at least once every day. Lose your life, even for a moment, and see what God will do with it.