Tag Archives: submission

Crucified

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Galatians 2:20

I used to say Galatians 2:20 was my “life verse.” I think it probably still is, although I’ve come to embrace other verses as well. But I remember sitting in the tiny room in Waco Elementary School where I gave music lessons, and coming across this verse as I read my Bible during my lunch break. It spoke to me that day in a pointed way, and I sat there and memorized it, claiming it as my life verse.

Today I read it and wonder if it is even true in my life.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? I can’t die for my sins like Jesus did. I’ve heard it said Jesus died on “my” cross. But that cross was His. He was the only one who could hang on that cross. And because He did, I won’t have to hang on mine.

Being crucified with Christ is not the means of salvation. That was Jesus’ job.

I believe Paul was talking about what happens after we accept Jesus’ atoning work on His cross. It’s the dying we do as willingly as He died; the giving up, the surrender of the “me.” Dead men have no rights, no plans, no will of their own. A dead man is dead – not almost dead, or dead in some ways but not others.

Dead.

So I’m wonder if that describes me in my relationship with my Savior. Is the life I now live lived by faith in the One who loved me enough to die in my place? Is my walk with Him surrendered to His will? Is He my co-pilot… or the ship?

If 2:20 is my life verse (and I think I might claim it once again), then I have some soul-searching and changing to do.

God, help me truly and finally die to Connie, and allow only You to fill me, raise me up, and live through me.

Crucify the “me,” Lord.

How Far Does It Go?

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Jeremiah 33-35

Are you as convicted as I when you read the testimony of the Rechabites in chapter 35? They had been invited to an exclusive party held in an inner chamber of the house of the Lord. I’m thinking that would be like a black-tie dinner with Billy Graham, John MacArthur, and Matthew Henry. A bit intimidating.

But when offered some wine, the Rechabite men respectfully declined.

Ok. So I picture myself sitting at a table with these three giants of the Church. Matthew Henry picks up a bottle of wine and fills four glasses. He, Rev. Graham, and Rev. MacArthur pick up their glasses, ready to offer a toast. (Now I have no idea whether or not any of these men drank wine. This is purely my imagination. I digress.)

They pause and wait for me to pick up my glass. I know there is nothing wrong with a little wine now and then. Paul recommended it to Timothy, if I recall. But I’ve promised God I will refrain from drinking wine as a visible sign of my submission to Him. What do I do?

The Rechabites’ decision to refuse the wine had nothing to do with the wine. This passage in Scripture is not about declaring that good Christians shouldn’t drink alcohol. What those men did had everything to do with obedience, submission, and commitment.

And that’s what convicts me. If you read further in chapter 35 you will see that these men were obeying their dad who probably wasn’t even there at the time. Yet God’s own children couldn’t obey Him even when His presence was so obvious among them. The Recabites honored their father in a way the Jews did not honer their Heavenly Father. They obeyed a human. The Jews wouldn’t obey their Creator.

God is asking me today how committed I am. How determined am I to obey His Word, even when it would be easier to compromise, to taste just a bit of sin so I don’t offend someone, or so that I fit in, or so I won’t be labeled a buzz kill.

I have committed my life to the Lord. I want to represent Him well. I tell Him I’m willing to suffer for the Name. But I sit here this morning and wonder how far I’m willing to take that commitment.

Pray for me. I’m praying for you.

The Perfect Gift

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Isaiah 66

There is this idea out there that if we are good people, kind, and generous, God will somehow balance the scale and accept us by what we do. It seems people want to believe a loving God would never send a good person to hell.

There are many things wrong with that kind of thinking. Isaiah addresses one of those in chapter 66.

God, through Isaiah, says to His children: you want to build a house for me as some great gesture? I created anything you’d use to build it. What kind of gift is that?

You don’t gift something to someone they themselves own. If you want to give something to God, it has to be more than doing good. He IS good.

You don’t hold someone’s hand, point to their thumb and say, “Let me give you this thumb.”

Do you want to know the perfect gift for God?

But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (vs 2b)

The perfect gift is YOU! That’s one thing He doesn’t have until you give yourself to Him.

What Do You See?

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1 Samuel 16&17

Walking with God, having faith in God, living in submission to God, doesn’t see obstacles, but possibilities. The Israelite army, along with King Saul, saw only a formidable giant and a powerful army across the valley. They were paralyzed with fear. It took a young man who believed in God with complete assurance to see the possibilities.

When you look at what we as Christians are up against these days, what do you see? Do you see the insanity of the liberal agenda, and cower in fear? Do you see a president too powerful to fight? Do you consider the media an army too strong to stand against?

Or can you, like David, see an enemy that has no power over our God? God used a boy to destroy Israel’s enemy. I think He is looking for some Davids today to step up, pick up the Sword of the Spirit, arm themselves with the power of His might, and get this victory started.

If you and I call on His Name, humble ourselves, stop our own sinning, and submit to God like David did, I know the battle will be the Lord’s. As crazy as things are today, Satan will never be stronger than God. Victory is a possibility.

Do you see it? Are you a David?

Not Too Late

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Genesis 25-27

I see me in Esau. He wanted his father’s blessing. He just wanted to live life on his own terms, too. He hadn’t really taken his father all that seriously, until it was too late.

So often I want God to bless me. But I also want to live life on my own terms, like Esau did. I read God’s demands in Scripture, but I don’t always take them seriously. I think both Esau and I are counting on our Father’s love to overlook our selfish choices.

The thing is, no matter how much He loves us, God CAN’T overlook our choices that go against His rules. He is holy. He demands holiness of us. He won’t let the guilty go unpunished. He wouldn’t be holy if He did.

Esau missed out on the best his father could offer. He was given a blessing of sorts in the end, but oh, what he’d given up because of disobedience.

I am blessed much more than I deserve. I thank God that when I confess and repent of my sin, He gives me the greatest blessing of all – HIMSELF! It doesn’t get better than that.

Esau reminds me that in order to receive all the benefits from that precious blessing, I need to obey. I need to humble myself, let go of the reins, and let God have His way in my life. My Father wants to bless me beyond what I can ask or think. He only asks me to follow His rules.

It was too late for Esau to receive the blessing he was hoping for. It’s not too late for me. My gracious Heavenly Father is eager to shower me with the blessings of His presence and care, His joy and salvation. May I be ready to receive all He has to offer, as I submit to His will, and let go of mine.

Give It All

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Mark 10, Mathew 19, Luke 18

To some people, hearing Jesus talk about the rewards promised His followers has them expecting a financial windfall. The prosperity false gospel of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Joel Osteen, Robert Tilton, Hillsong, some of the Pentecostal and charismatic churches, etc. all place their faith in it. Health and wealth are promised to followers of God, they proclaim.

They expect to receive 100X as much in return for their investment. After all, that’s what Jesus said.

Even some who reject the prosperity false gospel’s interpretation of these verses, still fixate on the level of reward they will receive in heaven They’ll put up with being the least in this life if they can have a front row seat in glory. After all, that’s what Jesus said.

But the point of what Jesus said to the young man in these verses is this: GIVE IT ALL. And “all” isn’t just material possessions. It’s family, career, reputation, social position, a seat on the Board, your health, etc. It’s your very life.

That’s the point of the lesson. Give it all, and trust God with everything, including your future. Give it all. Don’t hold back. Jesus wants us to hear Him say that in order to follow Him we must submit everything to Him with open hands, like jumping out of a plane with no parachute. You relinquish control, and allow Him to do as He wills. The reward isn’t the goal. Submission is.

Don’t make this about what you will get out of following Jesus. Make it only about what God will receive as a result of your total submission to Him.

Give your SELF to Him. Give it all.

Faith Like Mary’s

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Luke 1

Unmarried pregnant girls are so commonplace today I don’t think we can relate to what Mary’s submission to God’s will really meant, what having a baby without being married cost women back then.

Prostitution at best. Most likely death. Loss of everything and every one. And life for that child should he or she be born? Brutal.

Mary’s faith speaks to me. Her total, unquestioning trust in God is something I want for myself. If God asks me to do the impossible, may I remember:

Nothing is impossible with God. (1:37)

May I, like Mary when God asks me to do something hard, say confidently, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let His will be done in me.”

And mean it.

A Benevolent Master

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Genesis 47

Submitting ourselves into God’s hands is a process. He reveals an area of our lives we need to turn over to Him and when we do, He blesses us! But before long He lays His finger on another area of our lives we have yet to submit to Him. And He’s always faithful to bless us when we lay that part of our lives at His feet.

I see that truth demonstrated in Joseph’s dealings with the people during the famine here in the book of Genesis. He didn’t start out by making them slaves. Yet gradually, as they submitted one thing at a time, they become totally dependent on Pharaoh for everything. They gave up their money, their flocks, their land and family, and finally themselves.

But in doing so, they received everything they needed in their lives. They became willing servants to a benevolent master.

Do you see the comparison? The Apostle Paul often identified himself as a slave or servant of Jesus. Is that where you are in your own walk with the Lord? Or are there areas in your life you’re still holding onto, reluctant to give up control?

Let me urge you today to submit that person, or dream, or attitude, or activity to the Lord. The blessings far outweigh your struggle to remain in control. Give your “self,” your family, your health, your plans, your pride to God and become a willing slave to The Benevolent Master.

(I Kings 13-16) For Generations To Come

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Why did God not wipe out the blatantly disobedient people of Israel? One king after another – on both sides of the Israeli teams – obeyed God to differing degrees. Most disobeyed Him unashamedly. Their open rejection of everything God stood for would seem to be reason enough for God to wipe them off the face of the earth.

Why didn’t He do that? First of all, Scripture makes it clear God doesn’t delight in the deaths of His enemies, that His Sovereign will is that no one die without His saving grace. God didn’t – and doesn’t – destroy the Jews because of that one person whose heart is stirred, that one who is softening toward Jesus, and who will receive what the Messiah died to provide.

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Psalm 103:8)

But here is what occurred to me this morning as I sat here praying about these chapters in I Kings: God had made promises about Israel’s preservation to Abraham and to King David. Why? Because these men had vital relationships with God based on complete surrender and great faith. Neither man was perfect. But both men trusted God, and confessed and repented of sin. They were faithful to God, and He was faithful to them.

I am sure we are all praying for our children. We want God to bless and protect them today and every day. But I’m wondering how many generations of our descendants will be touched by God’s hand of protection, His grace and mercy, because we are living lives of obedience here and now? How many of our children and grandchildren will be blessed because we ourselves are surrendered to God, and demonstrate complete faith in Him? How many years will God continue to answer our prayers long after we are gone from this earthly body?

Our lives are lived in a few decades on this earth. But our prayers live into eternity. Our example goes on without us in the hearts and minds of our children. Our influences influence them whose influence impacts our grandchildren who will have children and grandchildren of their own.

What example of obedience are those dear ones seeing in us today? More importantly, what is God seeing in us that would cause Him to want to answer our prayers for the next generation and the next?

Abraham’s and David’s prayers are still being answered today because they were faithful to God while they had that opportunity. May the same be said of us a few thousand years from now.

Becoming Me (Jeremiah 18-22)

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I’ve never tried to use a potter’s wheel. It must take practice to know the exact touch, the right pressure to use to turn a lump of damp clay into a beautiful and useful vessel. The potter’s hands touch every fraction of an inch inside and out, as the pliable clay is molded into the finished product. If the clay begins to harden, the potter adds just enough water to make the clay soft and pliable again, so that he can continue to fashion something beautiful. He works, and re-works the clay until it is exactly the way He intends it to be.

The potter’s wheel is one picture of our relationship to God. The clay has no say, no control, no opinion. It is totally at the mercy of the potter.

That’s right where I want to be. I want to be molded and fashioned after God’s will, and if I begin to try to take control of my life, or if I start to become hardened to sin in my life, I want the Potter to intervene, to soften me so that He can continue to work His magic in my life.

I love the analogy of clay in the potter’s hand. But I also love the picture of being that vessel God can use. In Scripture we see examples of empty pots being filled by God, as in Elisha and the widow, and Jesus at the wedding. We see pots that are clean on the outside, but filthy inside as in the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. We see a woman at a well ready to fill her pot with water when Jesus offers her Living Water. We see a broken pot no one wants, here in 22:28.

Today, I want to be both pliable clay in the hands of the Potter, and an empty vessel that only wants to be filled by God Himself. I want Him to mold, push and pull me and never stop until I meet Him face to face. I want to be that vessel filled to overflowing by the Holy Spirit so that I, like Jeremiah will be compelled to speak of God every chance I get.

Jeremiah said this:

But if I say, “I will not mention (God) or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.” (20:9)

I want to be a vessel not satisfied with keeping God to myself, but one used for exactly the reason I was created: to know God AND to make Him known.

As old as I am, I am still becoming me. And honestly, I don’t want the responsibility. I’ve never heard of a lump of clay creating a pot of itself, anyway. I want to put my self in the hands of the Potter, and trust Him to create a beautiful vessel He can use for His Name.

There is an old hymn that keeps running through my mind this morning. The first verse speaks about me being the clay, the last verse about being that vessel. I want to leave you with these beautiful words:

HAVE THINE OWN WAY, LORD: by Adelaide Pollard

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay!
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.