For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:24 KJV

Have you really given yourself away? Has God found you in the hurricane, or are you on the cliff watching-looking at what you have climbed out of by the grace and mercy of God. Have you giving yourself away enough to stop complaining about what it means to be given away?

Most of us have given something away. It could be in the form of clothing, food, money, our love or even our blood. When we do these acts of charity we know that we are not going to get those items back and we will not get paid, they are gifts. We may feel good about ourselves in knowing that we have helped others, but that is about it. Some of us even take on the understanding that when we give things away we cannot decide what happens to those things once they are out of our possession. The kind of authority belongs to the receiver. I came to realize this myself when I chose to give away something I favored.

I had a sweater that was given to me by my sister. I wore the sweater several times pairing it with jeans or leggings and making fit my style. I really liked the sweater, but I eventually stopped wearing it and it became more of a sentiment because it was a gift from my sister who has passed away. About a year ago I decided to give it to charity. It took a couple of charity truck pick-ups before I stopped taking it out of the give-away box and storing in my basement. Once I gave my treasured sweater away I could no longer decide if it would be washed in Woolite, Tide or a bargain brand detergent. I couldn’t tell the new owner to lay it flat to dry and never to hang it on a hanger. It was no longer up to me to decide what looked great with it and what didn’t. I had given it away to be used by someone else.

If our lives are given away to God, we are completely his. Our life is not ours, but it is in the complete care of God. We are no longer guided or instructed by previous owners or ourselves, but by God because we have received the life of Christ as a way of transformation for us. Don’t be confused or deceived about giving your life to God. We are not given away while we are complaining , lacking love, cheating, gossiping, killing the lively hood of others, lying, being self oriented, having ungodly anger, or while looking for recognition after helping others for God. These are just a few examples of the characteristics that keep us from being completely and unselfishly given away.

Your life is given away to God if you are subject to his Holy Spirit, the love he exudes and do the opposite of what keeps us from being completely given away. You have no problem with new ownership if you find yourself doing what is not always the easiest of most popular choice, if you ride the waves instead of swimming away from the direction God gives to you. If you can call on Christ, (because you know this is where strength generates) when it is rough instead of going to a high place and leaving those in need behind, you are given away. When you know you can rest in God’s glory when needed, and keep an ear to his voice to be ready to work as he see fit you are completely Christ-like, you are his.

There is more to saying you are given away for Gods use. Words get us there mentally if we hear them, but actions and responses kept us there. Are you given away enough as of today?

Scripture Inspiration; Luke 9, Ephesians 2