Clenched FISTS!

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. "

Matt. 10:8 

Let’s do an experiment. For a moment, take your hand (left or right it doesn’t matter) and make a fist. Now, clench your fist as tightly as you can and hold it there for a moment. 

Now, open your hand all the way!  Feel the rush? That’s because physically, when you clench your fist it retracts and constricts the blood vessels and flow. Instead of flowing freely, the blood is forced to back up in the veins. In some people, this can actually hurt. But when you open your hand, the blood can flow freely because there is nothing to constrict. Now, let’s apply this principle to life.  There is a quote that says, “If you give a man a fish, you’ve fed him for one meal. If you teach him how to fish, you’ve fed him for life.” The first part of the quote, while good in that it feeds a person is also a stingy thing. It does consider the person’s plight and provide for an immediate necessity. Yet, it does not consider the future state of the individual and does nothing to address that state. It does not help the person get to the point of where they can stand on their own or provide for themselves, nor does it help them to that end.  It is only when we open ourselves up to consider the overall need and in turn open ourselves up to sharing with that person how to fish that we can provide something more, and that becomes a blessing to the person receiving as well as to the myself as the giver.

So many times in life, especially for “church going folks” the concept of “giving” always revolves around money.  Don’t get me wrong, money is a nice thing and can alleviate an immediate need. But there are times that it does little for the overall necessity. In  Mt.19:16-30; Mk.10:17-31; Lk.18:18-30, Jesus teaches regarding a man that came to him, asking what it would take for him to be able to inherit eternal life. It is obvious from the texts, that the man was a keeper of the law in regard to following the tenets and statutes. This was a commendable thing because not many could make such a claim. Jesus then tells the man that there is one thing that he lacks. "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  The man then goes away grieved and heavy because the texts say, “he had many possessions.”  Such is our own plight, which we have received of God many “things.”  Many take this teaching to state that the person did not follow Christ because his possessions hindered him.  This would be correct. Yet, there is a deeper meaning here too, and one that Jesus hastily teaches his disciples upon seeing this man’s reaction.  Mat 19:23  And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.”   It is true, that worldly wealth hinders a person’s spirituality if they do not keep the right mind. Yet, the Bible is replete with examples of men that for their day were considered wealthy, even equal to today’s millionaires, and still very spiritual people.  Consider that the man here is a law keeper! His problem comes in letting go of what he has because he is “clenching his fists.”  He wants eternal life, but does not want to give of what he has to others so that they can have it also.

How many of us are like this? We go to church for years, we learn the scriptures, we learn the principles – yet, we never give of what we learn to others so that they can benefit from our knowledge and experience. We never mentor another, never show someone how.  Oh…we TELL them. But this is a far cry from what Paul says in 2 Tim.2:2 “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

 

It is only when we open ourselves to what Jesus told his disciples in the beginning, “freely you have received, freely give” that we can comprehend the full blessing of what is intended by God for man.  It is only then that we can “feel” God coursing through us to accomplish great things (Rev.3:20).   Then again, don’t believe me just because of what I have written here. Get your own bibles and look at how many times it talks about “GIVE.”  Then look up what it says about KEEP.  Then – you will know.

Jim