God’s promise for Week 6:
“Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed." (Josh 1:8)
Day 38
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:24-25)
This verse about being a living sacrifice was one of those verses that I knew by memory, but I had not really let it sink in. A sacrifice, by its very nature is dead. It is placed on the altar, killed, and in some cases even burned. It is not a pretty picture, and the message of this verse is equally unattractive to our selfish human nature. I think I have been guilty for my whole Christian life of trying to fit God into what I want out of this life. I have equated His “blessings" with material prosperity. I have looked for His kingdom in the things of this world, when in fact, it ‘is not of this world" (John 18:36) at all. I so desperately need a revelation of who God really is, because I think I have spent my life painting my own portrait of God instead of seeking who He really is. I have even been arrogant enough to feel proud of myself for making sacrifices of my time and money for His sake. I don’t want to “fit God into" my life anymore. I don’t want to only let him in to the areas of my life that I want him in. I don’t want to give God my leftovers anymore. I want to give him my very life. I want Him to teach me what it means to die to myself every single day. I think perhaps the biggest reason that we don’t give up our dreams and our plans and that we won’t relinquish control of our lives and futures, is that we really are living for the things of this world. Sure, we can deny it, we can justify it, we can excuse it, but I think if we honestly searched our hearts and answered this question: “What motivates you?" most of us would be faced with the ugly truth that what motivates us is financial security and material prosperity in this life. Will you pray with me today that we “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but [are] transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s]" (Rom 12:2)? A comfortable retirement is not our goal. Financial freedom is not our goal. And even self-sufficiency is not our goal. We need to let God pry our fingers off our lives. We need to seek God until we really and truly know Him—until our view of Him is in line with who He really is:
Prayer:
Help this revelation of You sink deep into my heart:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
(Romans 11: 33-36)
In Faith: Keep praying!
