Disciple

This is an illustration of how much is involved in releasing our all to God so that we are free to serve others:

“I want this pearl. How much is it?”
“Well,” the seller says, “it’s very expensive.”
“But, how much?” we ask.
“Well, a very large amount.”
“Do you think I could buy it?”
“Oh, of course, everyone can buy it.”
“But, didn’t you say it was very expensive?”
“Yes.”“Well, how much is it?”
“Everything you have,” says the seller.
We make up our minds, “All right, I’ll buy it.” we say.
“Well, what do you have?” he wants to know. “Let’s write it down.”
“Well, I have ten thousand dollars in the bank.”
“Good – ten thousand dollars. What else?”
“That’s all. That’s all I have.”
“Nothing more?”
“Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket.”
“How much?”
We start digging. “Well, let’s see – thirty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred twenty dollars.”
“That’s fine. What else do you have?”
“Well, nothing. That’s all.”
“Where do you live?” He’s still probing.
“In my house. Yes, I have a house.”
“The house, too, then.” He writes that down.
“You mean I have to live in my camper?”
“You have a camper? That, too. What else?”
“I’ll have to sleep in my car!”
“You have a car?”
“Two of them.”
“Both become mine, both cars. What else?”
“Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper, my cars. What more do you want?”
“Are you alone in this world?”
“No, I have a wife and three children…”
“Oh, yes, your wife and children too. What else?”
“I have nothing left! I am left alone now.”
Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine – wife, children, house, money, cars – and you too.”
Then he goes on. “Now listen – I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them you must give them up, because now I am the owner.”
~From Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living by Charles Swindoll (Illustration by Juan Carlos Ortiz)

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