Freely You Have Received—Freely Give

Jesus’s whisper echoed in my spirit, “Freely you have received; freely give.”

My heart is tender this morning as I pray and thank Him for giving His life on the cross. When I write, I always want my words to be from Him to you. So I had asked Jesus, “What do you want to say?”

Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness… “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give…

“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet…

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves… But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you…

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

“Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before My Father in heaven…

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes Me, and anyone who welcomes Me welcomes the one who sent Me.

—Matthew 10:1,7-8, 14, 16, 19-20, 26-33, 37-40 (NIV)

His Life for Yours. Your Life for His.

Like a boulder rolling down a rocky hill, Matthew chapter 10 has been bouncing around my head and heart for the last couple months. Until this morning, I didn’t remember the various ideas He’s been shaking me with were encompassed in this one chapter. Our King, Jesus, is generous. He gives so freely. He desires us to give in the same way.

He doesn’t call us to something He didn’t do Himself. Imagine God directing Jesus as He did His disciples in the passage above. I’m sure Jesus was speaking to them the very thing His Father spoke to Him—and He obeyed in every step. Going into the world, proclaiming the kingdom, healing, being taken captive, saying only what God gave Him to say, not being afraid, and giving His life.

“If you love your father or mother more than you love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.”

—Matthew 10:37-39 (NLT)

Jesus’s love for you sent Him from the Father’s glorious side to Earth as His lowly creation. Will you leave your father and mother for Him? In love, the Father gave His holy Son to take your place and die a sinner’s death. Will you love Him more than your son or daughter?

Jesus carried His cross, not clinging to His life. Three days later, God raised Him again. Will you give it all up for Him, and find the life He has for you?