June 2010 Archives
I Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Him, I freely give
I would ever love and trust Him
In His presence, daily live
I hate to say it but I know few people who have truly surrendered “all” to Jesus. Most people who claim to love and trust Him don’t live the kind of lives that speak complete love and trust in all situations and circumstances. Yet that is exactly what God requires of us: our all. Everyone around me needs to know that it’s no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me. If others don’t see Christ, I have not surrendered everything to Him, and surrendering a part doesn’t count.
If Jesus were here giving you hourly instructions, would He find you doing a job well done or would He find you slacking and doing your own thing? That may be the perfect test to know how much you’ve surrendered.
Trust His Heart
“So when you don’t understand, when you don’t see His plan, when you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”
One aspect of coming to know our Lord is learning to see His heart. If you truly know Him, you know that “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). You understand that “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). And you find that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If He loves us so much, why do people fall into self-pity and feel like no one cares? I don’t know how much more God could show us that He loves us.
Yet the fact is we sometimes lose sight of that love. Those are the times we need to draw near to Him once again and allow Him to draw near to us (James 4:8). If we maintain a closeness that sees Him for who He is, we will receive that “perfect love that casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) and we’ll be able to tell others of His goodness no matter what we are going through.
Conversing with God
It struck me this evening how easy it is to talk to my sister for hours. No phone, no internet, just one-on-one conversation hearing what’s on her heart and telling her what’s on mine. Why do we find it hard to give God that same undivided attention? For many people, 15 minutes of quiet time is a long time. To take more than that is almost torture but it really shouldn’t be that way. If we are close with God, we will delight in spending time with Him and will listen as much or more so than we talk.
Many people would have the time they need if they would avail themselves of it. It’s too easy to let things like TV, internet, friends, etc. get in the way but are those things becoming modern day idols? If they are taking precedence over God, that’s exactly what they are. If you are not getting the time with God that you need, you need to evaluate what it is that has become more important in your life. Then take the time to lay that thing at Jesus’ feet and ask Him to take it from you and to regain His rightful place. If you are sincere, it may not need to be a physical removal of the thing from your presence but it will at least be moved down the ranks of the priority level of your heart.
Time is Swiftly Passing
As we begin a new month, I’m looking at my calendar and all the things on it. At a glance, I know this month is going to fly as quickly as May did but, with that realization comes a greater desire to make sure every moment counts. I have a lot to accomplish in a little bit of time but, with God’s help, I know I can be faithful in each responsibility He gives me.
I also realize that, in the hecticity of life, it’s easy for me to focus on the tasks at hand and forget the importance of the people I’m “serving.” This is something I’m asking God to help me with too. If we do not have time for the people God puts in our lives, we are not effectively serving Him. He has called us to “do” but He has also called us to “be.” There has got to be a way to accomplish a lot in a day’s time and yet still make time for a friend. I’ve not mastered that yet but I try to be mindful of that and know that, if God wants me to change gears from what I had planned, He will help me to be more efficient when I get back to the task at hand.
With the year almost half over, I would encourage you to consciously make sure every moment of your life is counting for something. I’m working on the same thing.
