Mark 10:29
Jesus said, "Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They'll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Each one of us will face daunting decisions in our lives… hard choices that alter the course of our journey forever. Some that stand out for me… leaving high school after my junior year for college and marriage; quitting my job as an elementary school teacher to begin a new business with my husband – and moving back to our home town in the bargain;, and leaving my grandparents’ farm and the “dream home” we built there to move back into town to better “grow” our business. Each time, I knew in my heart the decision was right… but nagging doubts and questions abounded. Many would call this “the devil’s advocate” – and indeed, the devil did have fun messing with my mind!
Each decision was a good one… a time of growth and blessings that I know God orchestrated and sanctioned. Each time I could have buckled and listened to the misgivings and reservations voiced by others (and running through my own head). But I prayerfully considered all options and followed what I felt God was showing me. As “doors and windows” opened, I stepped through them… and my fears were dissolved as blessings multiplied.
Having said this, there were areas I still held “in reserve” for a number of years… things I didn’t fully surrender to God, for one reason or another. The biggest decision we can ever make in life is to allow God complete control over every aspect of our lives. You would think that this is automatic when one gives his/her heart to Jesus, but actually, these can be separate decisions.
I am sure that there are those who invite Jesus into their heart and surrender completely to His will from that day forward – in every single thing. But there are others among us who have an “everything but” salvation experience. “I have given my heart to Jesus and will serve Him to the best of my ability. But when my parents don’t think I should give to a charity that God has spoken to me about, I have to listen. When my boyfriend/girlfriend wants me to go to the beach for spring break instead of going on a mission trip with the church youth group, I will probably go to the beach.”
“When I’m encouraged to cover for my boss at work about something, and everyone else is in on it, I have to go along, so I don’t lose my job. When I’m with a group of people who are making bigoted, off-color references to a particular group of people, I have to snicker and agree… or else they won’t like me. When my child asks me to help him/her get out of some trouble – or to make excuses for his/her behavior – I have to do it… he/she is my kid!”
We have a ready-made Guide for making all decisions… no matter how seemingly small or insignificant. It’s not our conscience or our little “inner voice”… it’s the all-knowing, all-powerful voice of God. If we will stop and say, “LORD, no matter what you decide, I will follow. Please show me how YOU want me to handle this.” A lot of His answers won’t be popular… much less easy. But when we come to a point in our faith where we can say, “no matter what” to God and mean it, everything starts to come into focus.
When you can say to God, “If I lose everything – family, friends, job, home, freedom, EVERYTHING – but still have YOU, it won’t matter”… you have arrived as His disciple. When you can truly surrender to God in all matters – and mean it – you will be astounded at how He shows up in your life. Don’t hold back. Don’t reserve any areas for doing what YOU want to do. Give EVERYTHING to God and watch what happens in return!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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