A paradox of giving and receiving
Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
--Matthew 13:12
This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn't speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have.
For instance...The more patient you are with people, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today,
the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become.
The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to
will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give.--Eswaran
I see this mystery at work in all sorts of ways as I seek to become more open to the mind of Christ, and allow the Spirit to guide the way my heart is listening. When I open myself to try and to do things I have never even sought to do, He brings joy and fulfillment which I have never experienced. Doors open, opportunity knocks, and all we have to do is be aware of the Spirit's quiet little zephyr--an ever so subtle unction, saying--ok, here is an opportunity for you to grow more patient, here is an opportunity to be an encourager, here is a way to bring peace to the situation.
On Wednesday afternoon, I accepted a friend's invitation to work with the three year olds choir. It was the first night of the choir's meeting. The very first time these children had EVER been to a choir meeting.
One of the precious ones told us as we began, "this is my first time to be in this choir", and I replied to her..."me, too". The beauty and innocence of these little ones, is an insight into how precious His children are to Him, and how precious they are to me.
This assisted me in the realization that in my previous ambitious, ego driven, self important, all business, selfish viewpoint that I formerly "maintained" only a few short years ago, I would never have even considered working with a 3 year old choir. My time was much too valuable.
I am such a fool.
The Spirit helped me to understand what a "wonderful little blessing this was--and can be".
This morning I am reminded of Jesus words--"the Kingdom is within you"--and I can see in my life the growing sense of what living from "the essence" is like, as opposed to living from the false self, which is my calculating, constructed business like former demeanor.
This seemingly insignificant experience anointed my life as if it were a dose of lubricating oil to rusted gears, or a quenching splash of clear water to a dry, aging heart. I need more of this healing...for it is life giving, and heart based spiritually nourishing.
--Matthew 13:12
This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn't speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have.
For instance...The more patient you are with people, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today,
the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become.
The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to
will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give.--Eswaran
I see this mystery at work in all sorts of ways as I seek to become more open to the mind of Christ, and allow the Spirit to guide the way my heart is listening. When I open myself to try and to do things I have never even sought to do, He brings joy and fulfillment which I have never experienced. Doors open, opportunity knocks, and all we have to do is be aware of the Spirit's quiet little zephyr--an ever so subtle unction, saying--ok, here is an opportunity for you to grow more patient, here is an opportunity to be an encourager, here is a way to bring peace to the situation.
On Wednesday afternoon, I accepted a friend's invitation to work with the three year olds choir. It was the first night of the choir's meeting. The very first time these children had EVER been to a choir meeting.
One of the precious ones told us as we began, "this is my first time to be in this choir", and I replied to her..."me, too". The beauty and innocence of these little ones, is an insight into how precious His children are to Him, and how precious they are to me.
This assisted me in the realization that in my previous ambitious, ego driven, self important, all business, selfish viewpoint that I formerly "maintained" only a few short years ago, I would never have even considered working with a 3 year old choir. My time was much too valuable.
I am such a fool.
The Spirit helped me to understand what a "wonderful little blessing this was--and can be".
This morning I am reminded of Jesus words--"the Kingdom is within you"--and I can see in my life the growing sense of what living from "the essence" is like, as opposed to living from the false self, which is my calculating, constructed business like former demeanor.
This seemingly insignificant experience anointed my life as if it were a dose of lubricating oil to rusted gears, or a quenching splash of clear water to a dry, aging heart. I need more of this healing...for it is life giving, and heart based spiritually nourishing.
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