03/08/2025
During my time of devotion today I read Oswald Chambers. He wrote of giving ourselves to Jesus Christ and what that means. It is a surrender of not just our bodies, but our spirits, our sinful lives, and all we are. As I contemplated the relief that comes from this conversion, I also thought of the pain that the process brings, because as the new person is born, the old must die. The apostle Paul understood what yielding oneself truly means. In his letter to the Galatians, he spoke of who he became once he had accepted Jesus as his savior, his Christ.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 KJV
But Paul (who was then Saul) was knocked down and blinded before he could see. He had to go through the process of abandoning the old man before the new one could rise up and see the truth which is Jesus Christ. We are just the same, and in the process of conversion and transformation we too must suffer both the pangs of birth, and the pain of death. Pastor Oswald Chambers wrote these words as he attempted to describe what Paul had experienced those many years ago, listen...
"No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of all presence." - Oswald Chambers
Birth is always uncomfortable; whether it be physical childbirth, the birth of a new nation, or our birth of faith in Jesus Christ. But coming to know Christ is more than the labor of childbirth, it also means that we must die to our old selves. Some of us suffer through the changes that letting go of our old life brings, but there are those of us whose grip is just too tight, and they cannot put the knife to their old lives. This is not a new problem and is sadly recorded in scripture. Not only must we see who we will become in Jesus, but we must be willing to see the writhing death of that person who we have been in the world.
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”
Luke 18:22-23 KJV
The wealthy man could not give up that which was most important to him, his wealth. So, he walked away from Jesus and lost his opportunity to experience eternal life. His money and power were his gods and he couldn’t let them go.
We all have something we value above all else. We all have those things that we idolize and that sit at the pinnacle of our lives. The question becomes this... are we willing to supplant them with Jesus Christ? There is a tendency for us to accept the Lord and then attempt to find some lesser place in our lives to squeeze Him into. We begin by saying that He is first, but then we keep living with our old god sitting at the summit of our life. If we do this then we never really go through the true suffering that being born again demands. Are we willing to go through the physical and spiritual pain of Christian rebirth? Are we willing to destroy the old person we are and change our lives completely as we yield to Him at all cost?
“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.””
John 3:3 ESV
Each of us who has accepted Jesus as our Lord has a story to tell... a testimony regarding our being knocked down, blinded, and then lifted up to see Jesus Christ. I dare say that there are many who believe they see, but in truth are still in the grips of blindness. Jesus may be very high up on their mountain, but He doesn't stand at the summit of their life quite yet. For some of us summiting that mountain can be a daily struggle, but for others it is a mountain that they believe is too high to climb... yet with the even a tiny grain of faith it is not.
“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.””
Matthew 17:20 ESV
Even when we relinquish all we are for Jesus, and truly place Him first in our lives, the battle still continues. Satan always comes forward with a temptation that he knows will challenge our belief in Jesus for the pinnacle of our life. We are not alone in such temptation, Jesus was tempted as well...
“And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.”
Luke 4:9-13 KJV
There are a couple of things about this temptation that I want to point out... the first is that although there was a physical summit of the temple, it was also a spiritual one... Satan was asking Jesus to relinquish his place at the very peak of faith... as the Christ. The second thing we need to realize is that Satan didn't leave forever, but rather "he departed from him for a season."
Satan is always looking to dethrone Jesus in our lives, and even when we resist him and drive him away today... he only leaves for a season. So, just as this was the case in the life of Jesus, and was true for Paul, it is just as true for us as well... faith and the placement of Christ at the pinnacle of our lives is always being contested. The need to defend our decision to make Jesus the focus of our lives, and to place Him at the peak of them, is being challenged time and again.
Thus, strong men and women can fall, and their eyes become blinded once more. We mustn't become complacent and should always be aware of the danger that becoming too comfortable in our faith can bring. There remains a constant danger that while we sleep the enemy will steal into our camp, and when we wake, we will find his flag flying above our tent. He is subtle, but the consequences of listening to him are great. Stay in the Word, pray without ceasing, and constantly be vigilant so that Jesus Christ remains our most precious possession... being forever the first and highest in our lives.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and that tiny seed of faith that will help us conquer the mountain so that we can stand there with Him. Father, come to me on the road, and knock me down as Jesus did Saul, but even then, lift me up again and allow me to see Jesus as my Lord. Give me the strength to forsake all else for Him. Let my faith be sufficient so that I can clear away all those things that have been gods to me in my life and let me see only your Son Jesus and you. Lead me Lord, all the days of my life. Stand watch as I sleep and guard me from all temptation... deliver me from evil. When Satan comes like a thief in the night awaken me to his presence and stand with me against him. Father, let nothing come between you and me, and let Jesus be more precious to me than gold. Though there is much of beauty surrounding me, let His visage and glory be all I see. Holy Father, let me forever be diligent in my faith and never become lax. Give me your Word to use as my sword and teach me to use it as Jesus did to resist all temptation and to repel the advance of evil. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who strengthens me as I am being reborn in the image of Christ, and He who defends me against all that would bring irreparable harm to me in my faith and belief. Hear my prayers, and your Holy Word as I pray it. Let it be sweet honey in my mouth and yet my sharp sword and strong shield against all temptation. Hear my voice Lord, as I praise and worship you with every breath I take, and on my final day of judgement count me as worthy, call me your child, and seat me at your table forevermore… walk with me in the garden for all eternity.
Amen
Praying Scripture - When we pray do we ever think back on what we have just prayed and realized that we have been praying scripture? This happened to me this morning… I have gone back and reread what I prayed and detailed some of the verses I recognized… see if you can find references to them in our prayer above. Are there others? What about in your own secret prayers?
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 23:6 ESV
“I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.”
Psalm 3:5 NLT
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV
“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”
Ephesians 6:17-18 ESV
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
“So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.”
Ezekiel 3:2-3 ESV
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 ESV
Rich Forbes