The surrender of Self, submission to the will of God, is the
key issue of the Christian life. “She wants to have her cake and eat it, too”
he said to me through tears. His wife is
convinced that having an open marriage is the key to her happiness. She wants
to discard what she knows of the Scripture.
She is convinced that living for the Lord will steal her happiness. A wife and mother struggling to find joy in
the mundane work of her household finds herself tested by acceptance of her
place. So does the powerful executive
who faces the choice to use his influence to build his own kingdom or God’s. Will Jesus or Self be Lord, is the question faced
by a teenager feeling the pull of his hormones and yet knowing the command of
God about his sexuality. A man trying to
balance his budget sees the tithe (10% belonging to God) and must decide to
give it or keep it. The test of submission
comes to us all!
Behind the question, self or God, is faith. Choosing our own will often offers the most immediate reward.
Walking God’s path, while yielding present joys, focuses primarily on things as
yet unseen, on rewards anticipated only by promises! "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope
for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see … So,
you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come
to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely
seek him. … It was by faith that
Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that
God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was
going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by
faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and
Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was
confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed
and built by God." (Hebrews 11:1, 6, 8-10, NLT)
Here’s the paradox.
We do not will ourselves to believe, nor do we create faith by
commanding ourselves – “Believe!” Faith
is the gift of God, given to us at the point of our desperation. Like that
young father who saw his tormented son and was nearly overwhelmed by the
impossibility of his condition, we cry out, “Lord, help my unbelief!” (Mark
9:24) There is no need to make ourselves
pretty, to pretend to be other than we are, when we rush into the Father’s
Presence. We take our conflicted self
and lay it before Him, confessing what we want, who we are, the terrible pull
of our temptation. And, there we receive
the gift of faith to give ourselves away. Only then can we find the joy that is
possible when Self dies.
Have you started to believe the devil’s life that God is
mean, that He takes away happiness, that He crushes the life out of His people?
Tell Him that! Then, wait for the rise
of the Spirit, the birth of new faith which enables the choice of submission to
Him. I promise (based on His Word, not
my experience alone) that joy will come.
It most likely will be a joy you cannot even conceive at the moment of
the testing.
Here is the word from the Word. May the Lord use it to plant
a new seed in our minds and hearts from which strong faith grows. “Since, then, you have been raised with
Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you
died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians
3:1-3, NIV) "Do not lie to each
other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices"
(Colossians 3:9, NIV) "Therefore, as God’s chosen people,
holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
(Colossians 3:12-13, NIV) "And whatever you do, whether in word
or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him." (Colossians 3:17, NIV)
___________________
Treasures
One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth's highways, grieving.
In my rags and poverty.
Till I heard His voice inviting,
"Lift your empty hands to Me!"
So I held my hands toward heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
Till they could contain no more.
And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God COULD not pour His riches
Into hands already full!
--Martha Snell Nicholson
One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth's highways, grieving.
In my rags and poverty.
Till I heard His voice inviting,
"Lift your empty hands to Me!"
So I held my hands toward heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
Till they could contain no more.
And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God COULD not pour His riches
Into hands already full!
--Martha Snell Nicholson
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