Choosing
the Very Best in Life!
"You
shall seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all
your heart!" Jeremiah 29:13.
By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes
our condition in such words as: "Dead in trespasses and
sins" Ephesians 2:1; "the whole head is sick, and
the whole heart faint;" "no soundness in it"
Isaiah 1:5, 6; We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken
captive by him at his will." 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires
to heal us and to liberate us, to set us free. But since this
requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole
nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him, or the change
can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored
to His likeness.
The warfare
against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought.
The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God,
requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before
it can be renewed in His likeness. The government of God is
not, as Satan would make it appear, founded upon a blind submission,
an unreasoning control. It appeals to the intellect and the
conscience. "Come now, and let us reason together"
is the Creator's invitation to the beings He has made. Isaiah
1:18. God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot
accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given.
Paul put it this way, "Be not conformed to this world;
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will
of God" Romans 12:2. And in another letter he wrote,
"Prove all things; hold fast to what is good!"
1 Thessalonians 5:21.
A mere
forced submission would prevent all real development of mind
or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is
not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning
work of His creative power, shall reach the highest possible
development. He sets before us the height of blessing to which
He desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to
give ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It
remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from
the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons
of God. Becoming sons and daughters of God? We can't begin
to comprehend what that implies, however, it does mean that
we will become more and more like Jesus.
In giving
ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would
separate us from Him. Hence the Saviour says, "Whosoever
he is of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot
be My disciple." Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw away
the heart from God must be given up. The love of money, the
desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds many to
Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another
class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility
is the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken.
We cannot belong half to the Lord and half to the world. We
are not God's children unless we are such entirely.
There
are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their
own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and
secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense
of the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties
of the Christian life as that which God requires of them in
order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When
Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with
His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will
cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will
be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action.
Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how
little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they
do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity
to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield
all and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of
the object which they seek. A profession of Christ without
this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery.
Do you
feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ?
Ask yourself the question, "What has Christ given for
me?" The Son of God gave all - life and love and suffering
- for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy
objects of so great love, will withhold our hearts from Him?
Every moment of our lives we have been partakers of the blessings
of His grace, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize
the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been
saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced, and
yet be willing to do despite to all His love and sacrifice?
In view of the infinite humiliation of the Lord of glory,
shall we murmur because we can enter into life only through
conflict and self-abasement?
The inquiry
of many a proud heart is, "Why need I go in penitence
and humiliation before I can have the assurance of my acceptance
with God?" I point you to Christ. He was sinless, and,
more than this, He was the Prince of heaven; but in man's
behalf He became sin for the race. "He was numbered with
the transgressors; and He bares the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12.
But what
do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for
Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His own blood, and to save
by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up
all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it.
God does not require us to give up anything that it is for
our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the
well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have
not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly
better to offer them than they are seeking for themselves.
Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own
soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God.
No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who
knows what is best and who plans for the good of His creatures.
The path of transgression is the path of misery and destruction.
Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life, and
that you may have it more abundantly" John 10:10.
It is
a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to
see His children suffer. All heaven is interested in the happiness
of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of
joy to any of His creatures. The divine requirements call
upon us to shun those indulgences that would bring suffering
and disappointment, that would close to us the door of happiness
and heaven.
The world's
Redeemer accepts men as they are, with all their wants, imperfections,
and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and
grant redemption through His blood, but will satisfy the heart-longing
of all who consent to wear His yoke, to bear His burden. It
is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all who come to
Him for the bread of life. He requires us to perform only
those duties that will lead our steps to heights of bliss
to which the disobedient can never attain. The true, joyous
life of the soul is to have Christ formed within, the hope
of glory.
Many
are inquiring, "How am I to make the surrender of myself
to God?" You desire to give yourself to Him, but you
are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled
by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions
are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts,
your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken
promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in
your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot
accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand
is the true force of the will. This is the governing power
in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice.
Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power
of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise.
You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give
to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You
can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and
to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature
will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ;
your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will
be in harmony with Him.
Desires
for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but
if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost
while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come
to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now
choose to be Christians.
Through
the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made
in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally
yourself with the power that is above all principalities and
powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast,
and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled
to live the new life, even the life of faith.
Do you
sense the Spirit of God drawing you to Him? Are you willing
to yield your heart to Him? "He came to His own, but
His own would not receive Him. But to all who did receive
Him, to those who have yielded Him their allegiance, He gave
the right to become children of God, not born of blood, or
of the will of a human father, but the offspring of God himself.
The Word became flesh, and He came to dwell with us, and we
beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth" John 1:11-14.
"You
shall find Me when you search for Me with all your heart!"
This
meditation is from The Path to Peace, pp. 20-22.
|
