Questers…could you believe what God was doing last weekend? It was a rare, remarkable experience…like we really were sitting down for a Family Meeting with Jesus Himself. The picture we glimpsed of the Great Exchange God made for us was breathtaking, a reminder that we are not our own. He traded the sinless One for the sinful, LOVE itself for the unlovable, forgiveness for offense, healing for our brokenness…the life of God’s one and only Son exchanged for you and for me.
Let THAT sink in for a minute…you will never get to the end of a love like that.
It is IMPOSSIBLE!
That reality is meant to shape every area of our lives…our marriages, our parenting, our sin-struggles, relationship, addictions…what we cling to and what we hold open-handedly to God. We are not our own! For those in Christ…we’ve given our lives away!
As we come toward the finish line for Imagine2, our journey to make room for more to experience God’s love for themselves, I wanted to help us take hold of Three Fundamentals to Living in the Great Exchange:
1. A Issue of Ownership - When you became a Christian, you trusted in the One who gave His life on the Cross for you by placing your life on the altar for Him. You accepted the best trade of all time…saying, “I place my sin, my trust, my future, my eternity, my life in your hands, Jesus.” And you GAVE your life away! It BELONGS to Him! Your life, your time, your resources…they aren’t yours anymore! (You don’t give someone a car and secretly keep an extra set of keys. It belongs to them.) Acting like a co-owner is a recipe for disaster!
2. A Matter of Worth - God declared PEOPLE…common, everyday, ordinary, annoying, sinful, broken people like you and like me worth the exchange of His Son’s life! Your neighbor, your husband, your co-worker…we are all of inestimable value to Him. It’s when we understand who we are to God – the way His heart races when He sees us, that our hearts begin to beat with His! God values PEOPLE more than anything in the world!
3. The Reason Why – God made the Great Exchange for you. And now He invites you to participate in His Great Exchange for others. There is no better investment on the PLANET. As you process His invitation it’s helpful to look at the reason why:
- The first level of response is out of a place of followership and obedience…taking Jesus at His word that investing in His Kingdom is the most important investment you’ll ever make with your resources. It’s a great place to start. In the Bible we see the disciples in just that place when Jesus tells them to feed 5,000 people with fish sticks and wonder bread. They go for it, not understanding how such a small offering could make a difference…and JESUS DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE! He put the miracle in their hands and they stepped out. And 5,000 people experienced the miracle!!! If God’s promoting you to give…to offer your fish sticks and wonder bread, step out!! You won’t BELIEVE how it changes you…and changes the world!
- The next level of response is out of gratitude for all He’s done for you, and for those you love. This stage of sacrifice is awesome! This is where things shift from “got to – to get to!” Like David in Psalm 116:12, in this place we respond saying, “What can I offer the Lord for all He’s done for me?” People thank me all the time for the opportunity to give back to God here, and I’m honored to open the door for them. You may be sitting in a seat every single weekend that someone sacrificed for on your behalf. It’s a fantastic next step to give back out of gratitude to God, knowing that you’ll get to make a way for someone else to experience God the way you have here!
- For some, your response may look like the woman at the Pharisee’s house in Luke 7, a response born out of love & honor. It’s one of my favorite responses to Jesus in the whole Bible. This is the response of someone who is so overwhelmed by Jesus’ love, forgiveness and grace that you can’t NOT pour out your heart, your life, your time and your resources into the things that make His heart beat. You can’t NOT give back to Him. I’m praying for all of us that we would grow into more and more wholehearted followers like this woman who gave with no regard for herself, pouring out her most treasured possession at Jesus’ feet. What a picture!!! We’re still talking about her 2,000 years later!
In these final days of Imagine2 as we reflect on the Great Exchange God made for us, spend time with Jesus understanding the issue of ownership (it’s not yours!), a matter of worth (people are the treasure of heaven!) and the reason why (in response to love!).
For those of you already participating in Imagine2, isn’t it a great reminder?! And for those of you just stepping into the journey, this is your chance to let your heart race with God’s heart. This is your moment to change the world and all eternity. And here’s a promise from your pastor, for all of eternity, you will look back over you shoulder and be glad you did it.
It’s never a mistake to open your hands to Jesus. Whatever you give Him is better off in His hands!
Let’s step out together, Questers…rescued people rescuing people, all joining in the GREAT EXCHANGE!