I was reading this the other day and it totally cracked me up...
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[A pig and a chicken were walking by a church where a gala charity event was taking place. Getting caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution.
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“Great idea!` the chicken cried. “Let’s offer them bacon and eggs!"
"Not so fast,” said the pig testily. “For you, that’s a contribution. For me, it’s a total commitment!!!"]
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It makes me think, how often do we just give God a CONTRIBUTION of ourselves. Yes, the chicken was giving of herself, but it wasn't her everything. It was what she had produced that she was giving of. When the chicken gives her eggs, she may miss them, but at the end of the day she's still there, she's still alive, she's still breathing.
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On the other hand, for the pig to donate it's bacon, it was a total sacrifice. There was NOTHING else left once it gave the bacon. There is a difference between us giving God contribution of our self and really giving God OUR ALL!!!
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So often we sing the song, ♪♪I will give you all, I will give you all, IF ALL is what you ask of me, THEN I will NOT withhold..."♪ Buuuuut soooo often we ARE withholding! There are parts of us that we have NOT really released to God. We haven't yet said I don't know what's going to happen, BUUUUUT I'm trusting IN YOU!!!! I'm going ALL THE WAY WITH YOU JESUS!!!
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ABRAHAM GAVE GOD HIS ALL!!! The Bible says,
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11:17-19)
WHEN Abraham OBEYED God and gave him Isaac, it was MORE than just him giving up his son. You can say well it wasn't ABRAHAM sacrificing himself to God, it was his son! NO, you don't understand, Abraham had a promise from God that out of this son would come the many nations like the starts in the sky and the grains of sand. By obeying God and laying Isaac on the altar, he was willing to give God back His promise. He was laying his own dreams on the altar as a sacrifice to God. However, Abraham trusted God and laid it all down...
"And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22:12)
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When you give God your ALL, there is NO GOING back!!! Its NOT just giving God what you've produced of yourself, its NOT just a contribution of you can produce from yourself. When You give God your ALL and I mean REALLY GIVE HIM YOUR ALL, there is NO GOING BACK, because there is NOTHING left for you to go back too, because you gave it ALL to God. God doesn't just want WHAT you can DO for Him. God wants YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!!!
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♫♫♪And IF my sacrifice is LESS♪♫ than giving you my very best, help me remember Calvary's cost, and be willing to say yes♪♪♫♪
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God didn't just give us a contribution of himself, he gave us His ALL!!!! Think about it, when Jesus sacrificed himself for us; They beat Him! They spit on Him!!! The scourged him! He was whipped! He was mocked!!! He SUFFERED!!! He BLED!!! He DIED!!! HE GAVE US HIS ALL!!! And God did ALL THAT, HOPING that we would give him OUR ALL!!! He doesn't just want your contribution...
GOD WANTS YOUR BACON!!!
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
(1 John 3:16)
♥Mary Frances :)