Jesus' Upside Down Economy

We all know that the economic situation in our world is a mess. I like Jesus' upside down economy better. In Jesus' economy, the more you give away, the more you make. That is true for the time you give, the talents you give, the money you give, the more of yourself you give.

Jesus has said that only when you give your life up to Him, will you truly find life. "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it", Matthew16:25.

There are a lot of earthly things that I cling to, that I grasp tightly with clenched fists, that I don't want to let go of- like my money, my time, my family, even my comfortable sadness.

It is only as I open up my hands and let go, that Jesus takes what I offer and makes everything right. The things that I am supposed to have, He will give back to me, although they may be different. If I give Him my job, He may give me opportunities to tell people I work with about Him; if I give Him my money, He may give me enough to give to ones that don't have; if I give my money to church instead of buying clothes, He may give me the confidence that what I am on the inside really matters; if I give Him my attitude, He might take my depression and in its' place give me an encouraging word to share with someone who is hurting. I've heard that you can't outgive God and I've found this to be true.

So why do I continue to cling to things so tightly? Fear is a big reason;  fear of losing something I value, fear of something bad happening. Fear comes from a lack of trust, a desire to control, and a belief that I deserve punishment. But there is no room for fear in Jesus'economy. He's not out to take from me or to punish me, but to give me all good things. "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly", John 10:10. KJV  I like Jesus' upside down economy better.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth or rust destroy and where theives break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also", Matthew 6:19-21. KJV