April 16, 2007

He Gave It All

MY WIFE DONNA and I were in church one Sunday with a daughter and grandchildren. When it came time for a special march offering, I joined with others from the congregation in giving the gift from our family. As I returned to my pew, my 9-year-old grandson asked, “Where do I put the offering?” He had in his pocket the allowance he had been given that week. I told him where to go to give his gift.

Upon returning to his seat his mother asked, “How much did you give?” His answer was, “All of it.” The words resounded in my mind, “All of it.” Of course it wasn’t much, but it was all he had. Nothing was held back.

It reminds me of the little boy with the five loaves and two fish. It also reminds me of the widow’s mite. They gave all they had, and Jesus blessed them. It ultimately reminds me of Jesus who gave all to redeem us from our sins.

Can we do less than give our all? We are to give our time, our money, and our talents to Jesus so He may live His life through us. As I give Him my life, I am able to be more of the servant leader that He modeled in the Word. And I can model servant leadership to those with whom I come in contact.

Then one day, when we stand before the Lord, we will be able to say, “I gave my all.” The song on our lips should be, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

(By Dr. W. Wayne Gardner, Toccoa, Georgia, TFC Alumnus, TFC President. Taken from the book: Leaves From the Tree God Planted © 2006 by Toccoa Falls College, p.12-13)