Give It All Away

Gerry Spehar wrote a song called Georgetown. The second verse of the song is

Now I heard there's a man aways up the road
He knows just how to sing and play the guitar.
Sittin’ on the edge of fame and fortune,
Could have made himself a very big star.
Ridding 'round cities in a big Cadillac
Showing all the ladies a smile.
But he took all the money and he gave it right back
Kept his happy heart awhile.

Andrew Thompson wrote a column encouraging us to do a similar thing with our belongs. His column is found in the UM Reporter.

The column talks about how the current economic downturn has gotten the attention of Americans and should remind Christians of the words of Christ. The words as recorded in Matthew 6:19, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal."

Thompson encourages us to deny ourselves and instead to pick up our cross and follow Christ. To do this, we must practice the old disciplines of scripture reading and prayer, and live a life that loves our neighbor. By given up our materialistic desires and carrying our cross daily, we will grow closer to Christ as we continue in sanctification.

Why is it that we must wait until an economic crisis to examine the materialistic lives we live? Christ doesn't tell us to only follow him when times are tough or to live the "good life." He came so that we may live life and live it abundantly, all the time. We live this life by following him. We are reminded of how futile it is to try to live our "good life" when economic downturns come and take away what we work so hard for. But when we live an abundant life in Christ, economic downturns only help to make our life better as be become more dependent on Christ.

Give it all away, follow Christ, live life abundantly.