"What Condition?"

 "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in." (John 20:5 NLT)

  "Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." But his disciples objected, "Rabbi," they said, "only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?" Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light." Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him." Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too - and die with Jesus."" (John 11:7-16 NLT)

 Okay; so, the passage of Scripture from 2 Corinthians 8:10-12, although Paul is speaking about giving, as in tithes and offerings, this goes much further than your abilities to give; money is practical to give, because it is counted and portioned out, based upon what you might have. Time, on the other hand, is a different thing altogether!   

 As you probably have surmised, John's gospel message is different than the rest, as John deals with the Deity of Jesus Christ; making claim to the Godhead position of Jesus and showing proof of the power which comes with true belief! Do you believe? Have you made up your mind, yet, that He is who He said the He was? Or are you still waiting for more proof, as if this message doesn't quite do it?  

 Why does that matter, Son of God, God the Creator; what's the difference? The difference is in where you are positioned, as in the power of a man that came from heaven; or are you positioned in the power of God, who was, and is, and always will be! There is really a difference: Put your hand in the hand of the man or put your entire life in the hand of God! 

 That said, no matter what life you had before, Jesus has made you more than you think you are! As I shared before, a very famous evangelist, named Dwight L. Moody, had set out to be, the man, the world could see what God can do with a man wholly committed to him! Yet at the time of death, he confessed, "The world has still yet to see that man." 

 As with giving money, you can only give what you have; giving what you don't have, really doesn't work! The church really doesn't like it when your check bounces! I once gave based upon my sales; but sometimes, sales don't produce money right away, because even though the work is done, the checks sometimes get delayed. 

 Now I base my giving according to what I get; no matter how it comes, if I receive anything, I write it down, and on Saturday I tally it all up and give 10%. The money is there, so I have given according to what I have, not of what I don't. Time, on the other hand is the same for you, as it is for me; we all have 24 hours in a single day, as the Lord gives us; which is to be looked at as the same as money!  

 If you haven't figured that out yet, you should start making your days more about doing well with what you are given, money or time, they both come from God! It really doesn't matter how much you give or can't give, as long as you are giving God the portion, He expects you to give, with an eager and happy heart! 

 What does this have to do with "what condition"? Have you ever wondered why John stayed so close to Jesus? When you want to be a light, you need to be close to the Light! It's all about what you want to be, because God will make you more than you ask, you just need to start asking...

"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." (2 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT)