And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:32, 34, 35 KJV
The great commission of Christ to us is to reflect the nature of God in the love we spread through the gospel. This is what the Apostles and early Christians exemplified in what they did and how they lived their lives.
They came together living a communal life that carried everyone along. There was no rich or poor in the house of God. They had a common voice and shared a common love in Christ. There was no reason for them to be cajoled into giving to God because they realized that all the had would be left here on earth when they died. They wanted to "die empty".
What is it to die empty?
All of us human beings came to this world with all the resources to make an impact and be who God has created us to be. That is why we can be passionate about those things we like, it is why we say we have gifts or talents. But what is the purpose of this gifts, talents, passion or vision? They are there so that we can be a blessing to the community of people that we come in contact with, irrespective of who they are (colour, race, size, or shape). To die empty means that we are to share and give of that which God has given us, give it all out so that by the time we are going back to God we would have completely emptied ourselves out in readiness of spending eternity with him who filled us up. Share your money with them who do not have, share your talents and gifts to enrich those in need of it, share your skills to bless the life of those who need it to live right, share your time with the people who need it, give a smile always not even thinking about who it is for.
It is however important to note that how we empty ourselves and the reason behind it matters. As children of God we are to give without expecting anything in return from them that we give to. We are to do it as unto God and believe that our Lord that sees what is done in secret will reward us in the open for what we have done in secret.
Benefits to dying empty
Everyone of us irrespective of where and how, who chooses to die empty will
- Have a joy in the giving and emptying of ourselves
- As we empty ourselves, we get filled even more than we had Luke 6:38
- When we empty ourselves, God fills us up
- Emptying yourself here on earth, you are building riches up for yourself in heaven
- Dying empty unto Christ and in obedience to Christ, eternity awaits us
The choice as always is ours to make. Whether we die empty or build riches here on earth and not in our eternal home in heaven is a choice we have to make ourselves.
