It's all Yours

Posted by on 16 March 2015 | 20 Comments

Tags: God, King, Seek, Word, Praise

It was twenty-one years ago that I laid hold of all of the promises of God, in a moment of surrender, no longer depending on my good (which was always - quite frankly - mixed with a share of bad), and instead, trusting in Jesus Christ and his saving work on the cross.  I did not plan to become ‘saved.’  God planned it, and then he graciously enabled me to respond in faith to Him.

Thank God!

Now, having said that I did not plan it, does not mean that it just happened in a moment.  It DID just happen in a moment.  But there was a definite build-up that preceded my spiritual birthday.

There was a church that started to pray for me.  There was the men’s breakfast where - instead of the classic call to salvation - there was a wise old teacher who instructed men on how to approach God, and how to pray.  And how to receive salvation in our own quiet place.  There were saints who loved unconditionally, and accepted me for who I was.

All these moved in the direction of Jesus.  But over all of this, there was something that absolutely ignited my faith from the very day I was saved.  And that one thing was a recognition of God as God.  Of course this sounds very intuitive, and in many respects not worthy of stating.  But if we understand God as God, it absolutely supercharges our faith!

Why?

Well try this:  1 - If God is God, then when he comes into my heart, I have a hold of something that defies my understanding.  The result of this is, I need to study His word, and seek him, so that I can get to know this mysterious God who stretches the universe, even as he humbles himself to take up residence within my very being.  2 - If God is God, he is King and ruler of everything.  The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world & all who live in it (Psalm 24:1).  I am a resident of the world.  I belong to God.  As such, I don’t have to argue with God over the acceptance or rejection of any part of His word.  He is King and Ruler over everything.  That includes me.   And that calls me into humble submission before him, and 3 - For his grace, for his love, for his mercy, for his power, for his patience.  For all of this and so much more, God is worthy to be praised.

If I recognize God for who he is, if I see Him in Jesus Christ, if I really begin to grasp at the wonder of God, then seeking, submission and worship are not options, or add-ons to my ‘salvation experience.’  Rather, my salvation experience is validated as these things become part of my life, bearing witness to the indwelling Spirit of the Living God, who has saved me through faith in Jesus Christ.

We give him our all, because all is his anyway.  He loves us, and so we love him.