Don't Hold Back

This morning I woke up with some tight muscles in my neck and shoulder because I worked out yesterday and potentially lifted too much.  I have to be honest, my wife doesn't really like it when I hurt myself lifting weights.  So her natural question for me this morning was, "did you stop when you realized you hurt yourself?"

Well, I'm a guy so the answer to that question is NO.  I just powered through the pain I felt yesterday because I believe that you can't hold anything back.  I don't jog - I run.  I don't walk - I walk fast.  I don't wait on much of anything - I'm a get'r done kind of guy.  So holding back just isn't in my nature.  When I see something I go for it jumping right in with both feet. 

There's a story in the bible about holding back.  It's the story of a husband and wife, Annanias and Sapphira.  They held back money from the church, although I really don't believe that this story is about money at all.  They thought that if they kept some of the money that they said they were going to give to the temple that no one would really notice.  But man were they wrong. 

So there are two big issues here - holding back and lying.  I'm a huge fan of either, nor do I think God is.  Well the story of A and S (some people can't pronounce their names so we'll just abbreviate) can teach us something.  The simple message is don't hold back.  Life is short.  We only have so much time to live the calling that God has given us.  Holding back won't accomplish anything.  Think for a minute what would have happened if God would have held back.  Perhaps God could have held back by giving us some homeless guy instead of his son, Jesus.  Or instead of dying on the cross, Jesus could have had a bad day.  And instead of rising again he could have twitched once or twice but not really rose. 

None of the alternatives to Jesus' death and resurrection would have been helpful to us at all.  They are actually kind of silly sounding.  Perhaps our holding back is just as silly.  God wants us all in.  He wants us to believe in him so deeply that nothing will prevent us from following him. He wants us all in with everything we are - from our money to our time to our thinking and our actions.  God wants all of us.  So today let's live with reckless abandon!  Let's put it all on the line.  Today hold nothing back, put it all on the table!

Lord, today we need your help to be bold and hold nothing back.  Give us courage and strength to live for you today.  Amen.