I just spent a wonderful
week in Nairobi visiting Steve and was blessed to be able to celebrate Easter
with him and our Nairobi Chapel Langata family. During Easter, I am reminded
that Jesus gave his all for us when He died on the cross for my sins. I often
forget what that really means and what I owe Him – everything. Growing up in
the church, it is easy to forget how truly amazing his grace is. What should my
response be? He gave everything for me, I think the only appropriate response
is to give everything to him.
It is easy to say “God I
give you everything”, but what does that look like? The week leading up to
Easter there were two pictures that helped me consider what it means to give
everything. The first is the woman who poured perfume over Jesus. This perfume
was so expensive, the devotional I was reading called it lavish giving. The
definition of lavish is very generous or extravagant, spent or given in
profusion. In that act, this woman lavishly gave what she had to offer Jesus. What
do I have to offer and am I lavishly giving what I do have to Jesus?
The other picture was an
experience I had here in Malawi. I don’t often give to people begging in the
streets for various reasons (a debate for another day!). This particular day, I
was returning from a work trip upcountry. I had stopped at a store to buy
water. There is a man who is always at this same store begging and I always try
to avoid him. This time, as he came up to the car window, I had my lunch sitting
next to me in the seat. I gave him a handful of cookies. I never do that, but
something nudged me to do so. Yet inside my bag, I still had my sandwich. As we
drove away, I watched him stuff the handful of cookies into his mouth and I
asked myself why I didn’t give him the rest of my lunch. I have food readily
available and I couldn’t give him the little I had with me in the moment.
This experience again made
me think – what does it mean to give my all to Jesus? I think I missed an
opportunity to give all I had in that moment to Jesus. I am not going to go out
and give to all the beggars now, but in that specific moment I felt convicted
to give to that specific man and I didn’t do it all the way. Sometimes God
calls us to give our all in big ways; so many Christians today are giving their
very lives for Jesus. But most times, I think giving my all is about the little
moments each day when God calls me to give – be it time, money…a sandwich. It
is being sensitive to His leading in those moments – as the woman with the
perfume was – and giving what I have to offer for that particular person in
that particular situation.
As I embark upon a new
ministry journey, these are some of the questions that I am pausing to think
about. I invite you post Easter to join me in thinking about your response to
what Jesus did for you that day? What is God calling you to give Him in
response? What is your sandwich to give?
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