Buying gifts for your Dad

 

“Jesus said, Truly I say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundred fold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”  Mark 10:29

On Sunday, April 28^th we left Dallas for our Mongolian adventure.    Earlier that morning in church our pastor encouraged us with this verse from the book of Mark.  I don’t remember ever reading this passage, although I’ve probably read it a hundred times.  Perhaps it never meant much to me before because up until now I haven’t left much of anything or anyone in order to share with others about Jesus.  Until now, sharing the Gospel has more or less always been on my terms. 

After reading this verse, I found myself curious to figure out what this promise of God will actually give me.  My human nature says “what’s in it for me, God?”  This scripture says that I will receive “a hundred fold now in this time” what I am leaving.  So do I actually get more houses since I left the one in Dallas?  Do I get a bigger family now since I’ve left everyone behind?  (Don’t worry Momma; no one will ever replace you!)  I’m not sure that this scripture means quantifiably more homes and family, but as I think about this promise, it seems like a pretty unfair trade for God.  Why should we get more in return for giving God what already belongs to him?

Yesterday during our missionary training we were asked a question: “What is your favorite thing about Jesus?”  I thought about Jesus for a second and my heart’s response was that Jesus came to save people that, in my opinion, weren’t worth saving.  Jesus isn’t fair in the way He loves us.  The Almighty, Creator God, living in perfect unity and fellowship with Himself does not need my friendship.  The mystery of this Love of God is that even though He doesn’t need me, he still wants me.  He gives me value because He sent his Son as an exchange for my junk so that I could know Him as a personal friend. 

Romans 5:8 says “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

 It was in this moment of meditating on the unfair love of Jesus that I was convicted for the ways I have had a bad attitude about moving to Mongolia.  In the painful and inconvenient times I have often thought more about what I was leaving behind instead of focusing on what I was gaining.  Jesus demands the full obedience of our lives because HE PAID FOR IT.  I think choosing to use your life to tell others about Jesus is like buying your Dad a gift with his money that he earned. 

My dad has a “man cave” room at the house where he saves all of the cards and tacky nic-nacky things we’ve gotten him over the years.  It’s really pretty hilarious when I stop to think about the things we bought Dad as kids.  One time I made him a puppet out of a Slurpee lid that I folded in half.  I called it “Mr. Cheapo” and my Dad still talks about it to this day.  As silly and unpractical these things were to my Dad, he loved getting them.  He liked them enough to save them and even display them in the house!  (Well not Mr. Cheapo, but he has saved most things.)  When my dad received our gifts, he enjoyed seeing what we did with his money because our motive was to love him.  Our gifts warmed his heart and made him smile.  In this same way, God gets enjoyment out of seeing what we do with our life when we choose to spend it on sharing about His Son, Jesus.

So I may not end up with 100 houses in return for trading in 5510 Ridgedale.  No other family or friendships on this earth would be a better trade for the ones I’m leaving behind.  What I do know is that I’ll gladly leave it all behind to share with others about Jesus because that makes my Daddy smile.