How much are you willing to surrender to God? Oh, I know. “All,” you say confidently. I’ve said it too and sung the hymn and thought I meant it with all my being. But every now and then the Lord comes up with these extreme challenges just to illustrate how much we have not surrendered to Him.
I don’t want to get depressing by pointing out our faults and failings. God knows we all have them. Our acute weaknesses which inhibit our faith, our lusts for this or that which tempt us repeatedly, our impulsive decisions which can drive us into sin as easily as taking a wrong exit on the LA freeway.
We all know those weak areas in our walk with the Lord. Some we quickly acknowledge and others we attempt to hide even from God. Brilliant, huh? So what to do with them?
Every day demands are made upon our lives—by work, family, even friends. We become used to certain ones, ignore others—usually to our detriment—and absolutely meet the requirements we can’t ignore, postpone, or simplify. Constant issues hammer at us. Some people are faithful to have what they call “Devotions” or their “Quiet Time” with the Lord where they read the Word and commune with Him on a daily basis at a regular time. Structured and disciplined. The most important part of the day, they say. And I believe that. Because nothing can be more life-giving than time with Jesus and listening to the Spirit of God.
I also know people who are conflicted by scheduling, who suffer with arid times, who would rather do next to anything other than have focused prayer times, and who manage to conduct their Christianity in a status quo survival mode. They love God, but they can’t find a meaningful and fulfilling time to spend with Him.
So . . . what are our choices, you ask? Well . . . there aren’t many really. Because if we aren’t willing to take a breather and listen to our Lord, any human instructions will eventually fall flat and add to the mounting lists of failings in our lives. As you know, and have probably said yourself, Christians often have these cutesy little phrases in our vocabularies which spout wisdom in ways we also reject. Take this one, for example: “Jesus is the answer.” But it’s the truth. In four words. How’s that for profound and lean at the same time?
Dress up your Christianity or dress it down, and it still comes out to “Jesus is the answer.” In life, in death, in sorrow, in strife, in suffering, in dying, in joy, in work, in play, in danger, in it all, He is there to be consulted, to be the listener, to be the advocate, to be the champion, to be the director, and through His Spirit, to be the Counselor, Comforter, and Truth. So why is it so hard for us to let Him be who He longs to be in our lives? Has He become just another “thing” we have to do?
How much of Him do you want today? How much tomorrow? Do you know that as much of God as you desire, He will supply? Wow. Think about that. As much of the Lord as you want, He will give to you. Don’t you find that exhilarating?
If you’re satisfied with what you have in your faith, I would wager you have marginalized your walk with God. If you’re satisfied with the mundane, you are losing your grip on the amazing power of our Lord. Christianity is the most exciting existence given to man on earth. It gives access to the most incredible power ever known. How can we become complacent when God has made so much available to us? When you stop to really ponder the lackadaisical attitudes we often carry around about who we believe in, it’s outrageous. Shameful even.
So, today, consider how much you want of your Savior. In this case the best answer is definitely, “I want it all.”
Father, I do want all you have for me, but I want to give you my all to work with, mold, shape, and bend, because I want to be the one you designed me to be. Anything less is unacceptable, disgraceful. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
*Please pray for Kristy Dykes and her family as they courageously face the possible end of her life on earth.*