Give to gain

Service. Sacrifice. Surrender. Those words speak volumes to us, and we admire those who possess those traits; however, most of us do not want to be the model of those traits. Most would rather conquer than surrender. We would rather be the guest of honor than the one servicing the tables. Everything in our culture screams that you need to gather and increase to have a successful and fulfilling life. However, Jesus tells us, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it" (Luke 17:33, NLT.) A rich life is gained by giving.

First, someone who gains their life by giving it away possesses a clear purpose and commitment to a great cause. The images of the men storming the beaches of Normandy at high costs is one example among many. People who knew the high costs of giving themselves to a clear purpose and great cause.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians, writes of his clear purpose and a great cause. His purpose is to know the Lord Jesus. Not know in the sense of gaining information. Rather know in the intimate affairs of knowing another. His great cause is to help others move one step closer to a relationship with him. Paul sacrificed dearly for this purpose and cause. He was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, betrayed, and left for dead. When you know deep within your bones a clear purpose and great cause, you are willing to endure tremendous hardships that cause ordinary men to faint.

Second, gaining by giving requires both intentionality and service. Again Paul writes, "I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them"(1 Cor. 9:19.) In other words, I have leveraged my life in such a way, willing to meet the needs of those whom I am speaking with, willing to give up my desires and endanger my welfare so that one might be won. So one person's life is eternally changed.

In baseball, when you have a runner on third and one out or less, the batter will come up to hit a sacrifice fly. If successful, they will give up their chance to be on base to get the runner home. The batter knows scoring the run matters more than touching the bases.

The Christian life is a matter of frequent acts of surrender and sacrifice. Giving up what is rightfully theirs to the great cause of getting another home.