tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post1682545915744542702..comments2023-06-07T08:22:13.268-05:00Comments on Savvy Sheep: He Wants Your BestRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18289899048471322587noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post-76236053097002828372010-07-14T00:02:05.117-05:002010-07-14T00:02:05.117-05:00I'm encouraged to see enthusiasm for this topi...I'm encouraged to see enthusiasm for this topic! :)<br /><br />You make some very insightful points. I think you're right on target, and I doubt I could add much to what you have said. Scripture has proven, over and over, that God has come more than half-way to meet us, so why is it that it is so difficult sometimes to give God what belongs to Him? Though it may not be much to give, our everything is all that God seeks--He sees our hearts as a pearl of great price.<br /><br />I was excited to see you citing that passage from Matthew. I happen to have written a devotional on that point for an online magazine a few weeks ago. I found some verses Jesus must have been citing (Deuteronomy 6: 6-8; Genesis 9: 6) when He made that speech. Since the Jewish religious leaders went through a rigorous training program in which they memorized most of Scripture verbatim, I'm sure they didn't miss His point. What can I say? The more I read about Jesus, the more I like Him! :)<br /><br />Thanks, as always, for your comments!Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289899048471322587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post-74189999914031063212010-07-13T18:15:10.566-05:002010-07-13T18:15:10.566-05:00Rachel Thanks for the wonderful article. It is rea...Rachel Thanks for the wonderful article. It is really encouraging.<br /><br />I would like to share few thoughts on the same topic. <br /><br />The word "Covenant" brings a great meaning to "giving" really. In the Old Testament it is derived from word "Berith" which literally means to cut. It is a sign of covenant. When two people in the old testament made a covenant they cut an animal in to two halves and walked in between the halves after making their promises which what I have learned signifies that the covenant is so serious that if one of the two breaks the covenant then they will be punished by God like the animal that was cut in two halves. Covenant was very serious. <br /><br />God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:7. Here God said, according to the covenant I will be your God and you will be my people. What I understand by this is that I am yours says the Lord and you are mine. A covenant is always followed by "giving it all." Nothing remains that is not given or kept back from both the sides really. Marriage is one such good example where there is a covenant relationship. The man and the woman coming into the covenant are giving it all. They give it all because of the covenant and I believe not the other way around.<br /><br />What am I saying, we give it all to our dear Lord because He made a covenant with us (Matthew 26:28 where Our Lord spoke about the blood covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins) and gave everything He has (Himself) to us and now its our turn. <br /><br />The initial giving starts with giving away all our sinful nature to Him where He will take it away from us and forgives us, then each day we give our self to Him. We give because we are in a covenant and we give it all. Nothing left. And more importantly what you have mentioned in the article, we give Him all we could because He deserves it. <br /><br />If we see in Matthew 22:15-22; We see Jesus answering a question with a question about paying taxes. People answered that they see Caesar's portrait on the coin and Jesus said, give what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's. If the people had asked Jesus another question immediately something like "what is God's?" then, He would have probably asked them another question, "What portrait do you see on yourself?" and the answer would be "God's." Then Jesus would have said, "Give yourself to God because you are made in the image of God." There is His image on each one of us. <br /><br />It humbles us to know that we are giving to God nothing that is His but even in our giving He gives us an expression of reality within our own hearts when we give him out of our pure hearts when He receives it and blesses us. In Matthew 5:8 we read, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." We give out of our pure heart and everything we could give then God throws himself out to us and then a miracle takes place, we shall certainly see God.<br /><br />Thoroughly enjoyed your article.Kamal Singarapuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10609499950015160648noreply@blogger.com