What if I gave all?

What if I gave all?
that's a good question! What would happen if I gave all I have to God? I mean, everything! My heart, my soul, my mind, all of it. What if I gave God my whole being? What kind of change do you think you would see? I have heard it said that we only use about 1% or our brain capacity. Sometimes, I get the feeling that many of us are only devoting about 1% of "ourselves" to God.

We will mentally say we follow God. We will mentally say we "believe" in Jesus. We will even mentally say we love our neighbors.

Let me tell you why I posted this video.
Too many people, (me included at times!), have only been giving lip service to God and I am concerned that if our heart is not in the right place then that which proceeds from the heart will be wicked and deceitful.

Luke 10:25
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

(sounds like a pretty honest question, doesn't it? until we examine it a little closer. He was a lawyer, a person who knew the Law of God, the Ten Commandments. He stood up and TEMPTED Jesus. He had no real desire to get to the truth, he only wanted to tempt Jesus. We would love it if people would come up to us and ask how to get to heaven. But it just doesn't happen that way!)

Luke 10:26
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

(Jesus knew what was in this man's heart. It was wicked and deceitful so he used the Law to expose him for what he was!)

Luke 10:27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

(see, here was a man who knew how to answer the question put forth by Jesus! But just knowing how to respond is no sign of being saved! it is a heart issue and an attitude.)

Luke 10:28
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

(he gave the right answer and Jesus tells him so. But like I said, it is not just "knowing" what to say, it is doing it! The next thing Jesus said was "this do." Jesus expected obedience to His Word. Not just head knowledge but he expected obedience. Without "doing" the man was not going to have eternal life.)

Luke 10:29
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

(here is where the lawyer is found in so many of today's Christians. They try to justify themselves. Instead of following the Words of Jesus and being obedient, they try to find a loop-hole so they can continue living in sin all the while following Jesus. They say that you should look at all the "good" things I have done, it will out-weigh all of the bad things I have done. So, here the man tries to drag it out with Jesus by asking "and who is my neighbor?")

Luke 10:30
And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead.

(here is a person in great need. Badly beaten and left for dead. What would you do? The obvious answer is we would ALL help this person. But I am not so sure. Just because someone is following Jesus, does not mean they are a follower of Jesus. For Judas followed Jesus but he was of the Devil. Not all professing Christians would stop to help this person)

Luke 10:31
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

(isn't that interesting, a priest went on the other side. Not all pastors/priests/youth pastors/elders are saved. People will poke their head in from time to time but will not "engage" people. They will not tell people what they need to know. They will not use Scripture, instead they will pervert the Word of God so that they might be able to keep living their life the way they are living it - even though, it is not biblical)

Luke 10:32
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side.

Luke 10:33
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him],

Luke 10:34
And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Luke 10:35
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Luke 10:36
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Luke 10:37
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

How he was slighted by those who should have been his friends, who were not only men of his own nation and religion, but one a priest and the other a Levite, men of a public character and station; nay, they were men of professed sanctity, whose offices obliged them to tenderness and compassion (Heb. 5:2), who ought to have taught others their duty in such a case as this, which was to deliver them that were drawn unto death; yet they would not themselves do it. Dr. Lightfoot tells us that many of the courses of the priests had their residence in Jericho, and thence came up to Jerusalem, when it was their turn to officiate there, and so back again, which occasioned abundance of passing and repassing of priests that way, and Levites their attendants. They came this way, and saw the poor wounded man. It is probable that they heard his groans, and could not but perceive that if he were not helped he must quickly perish. The Levite not only saw him, but came and looked on him v. 32. But they passed by on the other side; when they saw his case, they got as far off him as ever they could, as if they would have had a pretence to say, Behold, we knew it not. It is sad when those who should be examples of charity are prodigies of cruelty, and when those who should by displaying the mercies of God, open the bowels of compassion in others, shut up their own.

What if I gave all? What if you gave all? What a difference we could make in this world. Be willing to give up your old way of living. Repent of your sins. Be willing to be obedient to God's Word and stop following the advice of Satan. Put on the armor of God and be ready to go into battle. Satan is in the world deceiving people so they won't follow Christ. What lies have you listened to? Why aren't you following Jesus with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul and all your strength? Next time you walk past someone, remember the person who was beaten and left for dead. Because all people you see are half dead right now. We will all die, we just don't know when. So be obedient and fulfill the Great Commission. Give it your all.