Consecration
Chapter Five
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God's promise is, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye
shall search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13.
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The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never
be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness.
By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes
our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses
and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart
faint;" "no soundness in it." We are held fast in
the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him at his will."
Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal
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.
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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 holiness.
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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. 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.
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In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that
would separate us from Him. Hence the Saviour says,
"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath,
he cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw
away the heart from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of
many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden
chain that binds them 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 be half the Lord's and half the
world's. We are not God's children unless we are such entirely.
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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.
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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?
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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 bare the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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