Sharing

TITLE: Sharing
DATE:  Sept. 26, 2019

Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed.

TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 – ESV - 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[a] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Have you ever heard of the Toddler Property Laws? If not, I’ll repeat them here. It begins...

1. If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If it’s in my hand, it’s mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
5. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I’m doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it is mine.
8. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine. AND

If it’s broken, it’s yours!

As near as I can tell, Jesus, Who shared Himself with the sinful world, didn’t agree with those laws. He came to redeem the world by sharing His work with us. That makes Him very special. “Let me tell you what I mean.

I have had the opportunity to stand before the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Everyone has seen pictures of the pyramids, but no photograph can prepare you for the great size of this monument to the pride of the Pharaoh Khufu (say: “Koo-foo”). The pyramid contains about 2.3 million blocks of stone, which tip the scale somewhere between two and fifteen tons. The base covers 13 acres. Although there are a lot of about how the pyramids were constructed, the best say it would take 100,000 men over 20 years to put up the structure.

Now that you have a mental picture of this pile of stone, I want to inject one more thought: this building was designed to be the burial chamber for one man.

He didn’t invite his friends into the pyramid. He didn’t share a spot with his workers or his many wives. This pyramid was to protect him and his stuff for eternity. Khufu’s plan didn’t work. His body has long since disappeared, and his stuff stolen before Jesus was born. All that is left is the pile of stones.

Unlike Khufu’s pyramid which was for his exclusive use, Jesus life and sacrifice was designed to be shared with His disciples. Although there were times when Jesus went off to be alone and pray, most of the time He asked for no privacy. He demanded no body guards to keep others away from Him.

Instead, His heart opened wide so that those who were brought to faith in Him would receive the forgiveness of sins which was being won at such a high cost. The graciousness of His act cannot be diminished by time. Since it is freely given, it cannot be stolen by thieves.

THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You are the King Who gives Himself for His people. May I appreciate and receive Your gift with joy and repentance. In Your Name. Amen.

 The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html