Are we willing to lose everything for Christ?

We are called to give tithes, to give offerings, to love others as we love ourselves, but are we called to be willing to lose everything for God? This theme can be traced throughout the Bible where we are called to be willing to lose everything for God.

Abraham

One of the most significant examples of this is where God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:1-2). According to the Bible, Abraham was obedient. He prepared everything, and when he was about to slaughter his son, God stopped him and told him that He knew that Abraham feared God because he did not withhold his only son from Him (Genesis 22:5-14). Abraham was willing to do this because he knew that God was able to raise his son from the dead. (Hebrews 11: 19). Can we even begin to imagine giving up our only child to God? But we are called to fear the Lord and be willing to give up everything for Him.

Job

God allowed Job to be tested by Satan. Satan takes everything from Job; his property, his family and then finally, his good health (Job 1; Job 2). Job was afflicted severely, and even though he was confused, and he questioned why God had done this, he never departed from God. Job learned from God that he was to submit entirely to God even when he was going through great loss and he did not understand why. This account highlights that Job loved God and even when he lost so much, he never departed from God. After this Job was restored by God and was given twice as much as he had.

Joseph

The Lord was with Joseph when he ended up in Egypt, and this made him prosper. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, bought Joseph, and Joseph found favour in his eyes. Potiphar made Joseph the overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. But Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to sleep with her. Joseph refused and said that he would not do such great wickedness and sin against God. Joseph ran from her, and she reported lies about him to her husband, and so Joseph was imprisoned (Genesis 39:1-20). Joseph being a slave in Egypt, had a great position working for Potiphar but was willing to give it all up so that he would not sin against God. He gave up his job, his home and his freedom. But God was faithful, and he continued to give Joseph favour from the prison, and this took him all the way up to working directly under the Pharaoh (Genesis 39:21; Genesis 41:37-45).

Moses

God called Moses to face the Pharaoh and free the people of Israel (Exodus 3:10-22). Moses did not think that the people would believe him, but God gave him signs and promised that He would be with him (Exodus 4:1-17). So even though Moses was afraid to go, he was obedient to God and the people of Israel were able to leave Egypt as free people (Exodus 14:30-31). Moses gave up his job, his home and his comfort to go on God’s mission to do scary things, things that he did not think he could do. But he did it for God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship a false image even though the punishment for not doing so was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. They told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to deliver them, and even if He did not, they made it clear they would not worship any false god.  They were willing to give up everything for God. They were thrown into the furnace, and God saved them in a miraculous way that it astonished King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:8-30).

David

David courageously offered to battle a giant even though all the other men of the army did not want to fight him. David was courageous because he knew the power of the God he served. He said that the God who delivered him from lions and bears would deliver him from the giant (1 Samuel 17:1-58). David went armed with the most unlikely weapon and was delivered from the giant. David was willing to risk it all for the God he served.

The Disciples

When Jesus started his ministry on earth, he went around and found disciples and called them to leave everything behind and to follow him. The Bible tells us that’s what they did. They were willing to give it all up to follow Jesus the Messiah (Luke 5:11).

Paul

Paul encountered Jesus on his way to Damascus to prosecute the disciples of the Lord. After this encounter, Jesus revealed the truth to him, and he gave it all up to proclaim Jesus to all (Acts 9:1-22). Paul went through tremendous suffering in the ministry, but it never stopped him. He continued to give up much to serve the Lord, even his health.

Stephen

Stephen gave his life to proclaim Jesus to all. He was stoned because he told the truth to the people and he violently lost his life. Stephen gave it all up for God.

Jesus

And finally, Jesus, our ultimate example, gave up his life to save every last one of us.

So, are we all called to be willing to give it all up when needed for Jesus? Should we be willing to give up our comforts, our wants, our security, our finances and our lives? The fact that this message is all over the Bible reveals its importance. These people mentioned above, were not perfect but they all showed they were willing to give up what was needed for God. So, we are called to be willing to give it all up for God. We should be willing to show God that we fear Him and trust Him completely, more than anything we have in this temporary world. We often hold on to things for security like our job and our money but are we not supposed to, beyond all else, trust God first? He is the one who gives us jobs and money. He takes care of us, he provides our every need and when the answer is no when we ask, it’s probably because it’s something that is not good for us. So, let us purpose in our hearts to be willing to give up anything that God calls us to and let us pass that test and show Him how much He means to us.

Summary

• There are many examples in the Bible of people willing to lose for God.
• Willing to give it all up shows that we fear, trust and love God.
• Jesus gave it all up for us.
• Shouldn’t we be willing to give it all up for Him?
• So, let us purpose in our hearts to be willing to lose everything.

All photos were taken by Kyle or Vani. These photos are from the many adventures we have been blessed to experience together. We are so grateful for every blessing from God. No filters were used nor were the photos edited except for an occasional crop. We hope you enjoy.