"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Ps. 37:4)
Someone has rightly said, I believe, that God's will for our lives is what we would want if we knew what God knows. God is outside of the boundaries of time and the physical constraints of our world, and He sees our lives with clear focus and perspective. As some say, "He can see the big picture." Because He desires the very best for us His will is that we live in obedience to Him.
If we concentrate on delighting in Him, our heart begins to desire what God desires. We begin to want what He wants. We surrender to His will and we pray according to His promises in the Scripture. So if I want to see God answer in a positive way the prayers I am praying, I need to learn to delight in the Lord. I can do that by spending quality time reading His Word and praying according to what He has promised in His Word.
This incredible promise is not about how to manipulate God into doing our will. It is about so totally being consummed with who God is that our desires begin to be transformed until they are a reflection of what God desires. His desires become my desires. His will becomes my will. When I am delighted in the Lord, I can pray as Jesus prayed, "Not my will, buts yours be done."
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Fully Surrendered, or Just Committed
"Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 1:1a)
It is sometimes translated "slaves" and sometimes "servants" but the Greek word is "doulos" which literally means a "bond-servant." It is a word that denotes a person who has voluntarily chosen to become a slave to someone else. It comes from the Old Testament practices related to the year of Jubilee, every 7th year when slaves were released. But if someone preferred to work for the master forever because they had such a great relationship, they would voluntarily become bond slaves. The master would provide all they needed, and the servant was completely obedient to the master, always.
Many people in our post-modern culture, just as in the modern culture that preceded it, make some type of commitment to Christ. The problem with that is the person remains in control of whatever amount of their life that they choose. Jesus called everyone to surrender totally. When He called Peter and Andrew, the scripture tells us they left everything immediately. When He called John and James, they left everything, including their father and followed Jesus. Jesus said, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Genuine discipleship, true beleivers are those who have surrendered all to Christ.
What if the Japanese or the Germans at the end of WW II had said, "We want to make a commitment to you," instead of "We surrender?" What if General Lee had said, "We make a commitment to you," instead of "We surrender" at the end of the War between the States. God doesn't ask us to make some negotiable commitment to Him. He asks us to surrender our lives to His direction and control. Only then do we truly experience His abundant life.
Ponder the difference in your own mind. If and when you determine that this is correct, ask yourself, "Am I committed to being a follower of Jesus Christ, or have I fully surrendered?"
It is sometimes translated "slaves" and sometimes "servants" but the Greek word is "doulos" which literally means a "bond-servant." It is a word that denotes a person who has voluntarily chosen to become a slave to someone else. It comes from the Old Testament practices related to the year of Jubilee, every 7th year when slaves were released. But if someone preferred to work for the master forever because they had such a great relationship, they would voluntarily become bond slaves. The master would provide all they needed, and the servant was completely obedient to the master, always.
Many people in our post-modern culture, just as in the modern culture that preceded it, make some type of commitment to Christ. The problem with that is the person remains in control of whatever amount of their life that they choose. Jesus called everyone to surrender totally. When He called Peter and Andrew, the scripture tells us they left everything immediately. When He called John and James, they left everything, including their father and followed Jesus. Jesus said, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." Genuine discipleship, true beleivers are those who have surrendered all to Christ.
What if the Japanese or the Germans at the end of WW II had said, "We want to make a commitment to you," instead of "We surrender?" What if General Lee had said, "We make a commitment to you," instead of "We surrender" at the end of the War between the States. God doesn't ask us to make some negotiable commitment to Him. He asks us to surrender our lives to His direction and control. Only then do we truly experience His abundant life.
Ponder the difference in your own mind. If and when you determine that this is correct, ask yourself, "Am I committed to being a follower of Jesus Christ, or have I fully surrendered?"
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