A Hundred Times More, Monday Musings, vol. iv

"Peter began to tell him, 'Look, we have

left everything and followed you.'

'Truly I tell you,' Jesus said, 

'there is no one who has left house

or brothers or sisters or mother or

father or children or fields for my

sake and for the sake of the gospel,

who will not receive a hundred 

times more, now at this time--houses,

brothers and sisters, mothers and 

children, and fields, with persecutions--and

eternal life in the age to come.'"

- Mark 10:28-30 -

When we were packing up our belongings to move to England four years ago I thought about these verses, and I was thankful to have the opportunity to trust Jesus and follow him in this concrete way.  Maybe it was because the end part of Jesus's promise includes "eternal life and the age to come," that the "now at this time" earlier in the sentence escaped my notice.  But it doesn't escape my notice now.

Meet our host Gerald.  He doesn't want any recognition.  He was just sharing the gift of the place he was blessed with with us, but isn't that what all of our giving is?  Everything we have is a gift.  Anything we can give is just re-gifting what God has given to us.  And we are so very grateful for his opening of his home to us for what will be exactly 5 months next week.  His generosity gave us an experience not many people get to have, living in the middle of Paris in a beautiful apartment that has felt like home.  We've been so comfortable even while living without most of our belongings thanks to his hospitality.  It has been such an act of generosity to invite a family he didn't know to invade his space, and it enabled K.J. to hit the ground running with the church plant.  My father-in-law always says if God can "get it through you, he'll get it to you."  For the past five months we've seen Jesus be faithful to his promise for here we've gained a house and a brother.  

Re-gifting can have a lot of ripple effects in the kingdom now at this time and in the age to come.