January 2011
Give It All You’ve Got
Life is not a dress rehearsal for some big event. Life is the big event. You cannot rewind and do it again. You do not get a second chance to do it all over again once you cross over. Thus it behooves us to put all we have in everything we do, every time. Do not save anything for a rainy day. Use up all your reserves.
If it is worth doing, then it is worth doing with all the strength, gusto, passion and power that is within you. Anything that is not deserving of that level of devoted effort should be abandoned. It is not worthy of you. You dishonor yourself and devalue the greatness and divine treasures resident within you, when you engaged in any activity less than wholeheartedly. You were created by Excellence himself to manifest that excellence.
When you don’t give all you have, you can easily come down with a bad case of these three: the what if, maybe, and would have diseases. “What if I had paid more attention in that class, maybe I would have passed the exam and gotten my certification.” These thoughts can be pretty tormenting and frustrating. When you assess your life you want to be able to say that you gave it all you had, every time. That is truly living.
You were placed on the earth for a unique and specific purpose. You are supposed to go at it hard. You are intended to rock that purpose. Let us know that you are here, not by your talk but by your walk. We want to feel your presence. We don’t want to hear you squeak or whimper--we want to hear you roar. You are meant to turn your world upside down just as the First Son, Jesus.
All that you need to fulfill your assignment was placed in you. You are full. Everything you have in you is meant for the here and now. Why take it back with you? Heaven does not want or need it--but your family, friends, your community and your world needs it.
Your destiny deserves your all. There is so much in you that is yet untapped. You have the capacity to pour out much more. Reach within you and pull out what the Father has deposited. Pour it all out. Shine. Showcase the praises of him who called you out of darkness and placed you in this marvelous light. Empty yourself here in the earth. You are a fountain, a spring gushing with life. You were designed to give it all you’ve got. Live today like now is all you’ve got, because, it is all you’ve got. Live like there is no tomorrow and now is the only things that counts.
We would all be much more highly evolved, on every level of our lives, if we had not talked ourselves into giving less. We have censored and restrained our efforts. You cannot invest little and expect a windfall. That is the lottery mentality. There is a direct correlation between what you give and what you get. Luke 6:38. We have received little because our input was little. Our dreams are little, our life is little, and our world is little. If you want a greater experience, unclench your fists and open your arms to embrace others. If you want it all, you have to give it all. Matt. 19:29. Giving is investing in yourself and your life, how can you be stingy and uncharitable with your own self?
Some of us are professional slouches. We are low energy not because we have a vitamin deficiency, but because we have developed a low energy mentality. We have inculcated and developed an attitude that says only do sufficient to get by--give as little as you can get away with giving. Sadly, we even apply that standard to ourselves. Why not give yourself to something or someone. Truly give yourself to the Father in wild abandon and see what happens.
We clutter our lives with so many things that are tangential, frivolous and inconsequential, that there is little time and effort available for the weightier matters. We engage in activities, out of obligation and because we are addicted to the opinions of others and not because we are personally interested. However if it is not important to you, meeting some need, or fulfilling some legitimate desire, then you should eliminate it and devote your time and effort to something in which you are truly invested. We have to pare down our activities to the things that are vital and give those activities all we’ve got.
Multi-tasking is a farce. It is an illusion. It suggests that you can give one hundred percent of your effort to one hundred different tasks simultaneously. However, if it is significant to you it is deserving of exclusive dedicated attention. You cannot be impactful doing something that you do not enjoy and are not personally connected and committed to doing.
Jesus is the epitome of giving it all you’ve got. He had it all and gave it all. He did everything with all of his mind, body and soul. He summoned all that he possessed and poured it into every sermon, every healing, and every relationship. Everyone who interacted with him received all that he had. He was fully present in each moment, living that moment with vibrancy and vitality. That is why he was so successful. He never gave less than one hundred percent of himself. Everyone who came into contact with him or just heard him speak was powerfully impacted because he never did anything half heartedly, out of obligation, or lethargically.
Jesus is still here, but in each and every one of us. Let him loose to touch the world through you by giving all you’ve got.