Devotional thoughts - Lent 2013 - day 28

I began the day thinking of how patient, and loving, and merciful, and forgiving, and gracious and kind God is toward His children, and has been , is ever toward me.  This was, as usual, highlighted in my life by situations in community where I am feeling (and sometimes acting) other than patient, or loving, or merciful, or forgiving, or gracious, or kind toward someone for any supposed infraction of any of my perceived rights.  And this did, as usual, shine the light on all of the ways that I still am so far from true Christ-likeness.

With this mindset, I am certainly challenged in reading today’s My Utmost for His Highest:

Peter began to say to Him, ’See, we have left all and followed You’ —Mark 10:28

Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself. ...

True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.

 

 

O LORD, thank You for all of the ways, all of the times You shine Your light of truth on my situation, on my heart.  Thank You for Your work in me that I might be conformed to the image of Your dear Son.

… and my journey with Him continues …