9/21/2024
What does it mean to give ourselves to God? Are we prepared to become fully consecrated? These are questions for us to concentrate on this morning. Presenting ourselves to God and becoming spiritually focused rather than worldly centered. When we do this, our lives are changed and we become an example to others of the perfect will of God... we will reflect those attributes which set us apart as holy and righteous before a world of sin and compromise.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2 KJV
As I read this morning I found that Pastor E.M. Bounds gave his view of this in these words:
"A low standard of religion lives by a low standard of praying.
Everything in our religious lives depends upon being definite...
A full renunciation of self, and a sincere offering of all to God - this is the divine requirement. There is nothing vague in that. Nothing in that is governed by the opinions of others or affected by how people live around us." – E. M. Bounds
Some Christians are afraid of total dedication to God because they want to cherry pick those thing they want to give Him. Some will say "I can give my time but not my money" while others say "I can give my money but not my time", or "I would like to pray without ceasing Lord, but my job requires my undivided attention... what if I give you a morning and evening prayer?"
God requires different things of different people, but what He requires of us all is the willingness to dedicate fully to Him those things He asks of us. What does He ask of you? In order to know what He asks, we need to talk with Him, and that means listening in prayer as much, or more, than we speak.
In the past, I have worked jobs that I absolutely detested, but I went to work each day and maintained a good attitude because it was best for my family and put bread on the table. The point I am making is that if we are willing to suffer for our families, how much more should we be willing to suffer for God and the advancement of His will? What in our lives do we put before God in importance? What are the things He has asked of us to give up that we couldn’t lay down? These are the things that keep us from giving ourselves totally to God.
The Lord doesn't ask us to give up things just to make us suffer or unhappy, but He will ask us to give up things that are necessary for His will to be fulfilled, or to make a point with us regarding a lesson in serving Him. Jesus understood what the rich man placed before God when He said...
“ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.””
Matthew 19:21 ESV
Asking this of a poor man would have been no problem at all... but what if He asked him to leave his skilled trade, the only thing he took pride in, and follow Him? Being willing to give God our all is the lesson... not just saying so, but actually being willing to walk away from whatever it is; laying down our nets, leaving our boat, and following Him. That scares people, but not those who know the love of God, and trust in His desire to bless us.
Now for a question a difficult question to consider today... what if a person follows God solely to obtain eternal life? Is he placing his/her life before the will of God? Or, is eternal life the will of God? Think about it today then ask yourself... why do I believe in and follow the Lord? Is obtaining eternal life more valuable than loving God? Is eternal life, my life, the true God I worship? Was this the God that the rich man worshiped, and was this what kept him from selling all he owned to follow Jesus?
So giving our all to God requires love and adoration. It means that our love should be without bounds and our willingness to obey him without reservation. Are we ready for that kind of commitment, and that level of consecration?
I pray this morning that each of us would search ourselves in prayer for those things that are standing between us and God. I pray that when we find these things, that we ask God to help us overcome our need for them and remove our unwillingness to obey Him if He were to ask us to lay them down. I pray that we will all seek consecration, and place the love of God rightly in our lives.
Then, when we seek the answer to the question I have posed regarding eternal life being our god, and Jesus asks that we give Him the love of our very lives, both earthly and eternal, this won't impede us from serving Him and performing His will. Then, when we are asked to yield the god that we have contrived for ourselves and are facing the hard asks of faith, to abandon something that might make us feel less in the eyes of the world, or our families, and to yield some treasure we value more than God Himself, then we will be willing to give our all and follow Him... we will overcome the temptation of denying Him. At this moment we will find our cross, and pick it up.
“ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
Matthew 16:24-26 ESV
I pray that God blesses you today, and that your path towards consecration will have no stumbling blocks that can't easily be removed. I pray that you will be able to give up whatever god you have contrived for yourself and follow Jesus, to endure the suffering loss of it, and give all of yourself to God.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for seeing those things in our lives which are impediments to us as we seek you, and for asking us to give them up. To enable us in this Father, we thank you for making the road that lies ahead of us smooth, straight, and level. We thank you for helping us to overcome the false gods, temptations, and our own self-righteousness that has us shackled, and prevents us from picking up our crosses and following Jesus to you. We find that fully yielding ourselves, and the things we value more than you, will cause us to suffer Lord, so we ask you to give us strength in our faith, and to help us in our unbelief. Bless us as we work to perfect our love for you, and to consecrate ourselves. Hold us gently, and lovingly Abba, as we humble ourselves in you, and lie meek and obedient in your arms. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God, our one and only true God, who has loved us while we were yet sinners, and led us through Christ past every encumbrance to our faith, belief, and love for you. Merciful and full of grace are you who reveals every stumbling block that trip us up, and prevents us from being righteous, pleasing in your eyes, and perfect as your son Jesus Christ is perfect. Help us to be still Father and know that you are God. Help us to yield ourselves in all things to you. Give us your love before eternal life, and yet we pray that you do give us eternity so that our love for you will know no beginning, and no end, but grow in us like a light that shines in every direction. Let our lives bless you beyond our understanding, beyond time, and our peace and joy in you be boundless and without ebb nor flow as we praise and worship you… even as we are made to be in you always.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, and Amen, Amen, Amen!
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
1 John 4:16 ESV
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 ESV
Rich Forbes