How much are you willing to give up, I do not mean what are you prepared in your heart and life for the Lord to remove from you, but how much are you willing to leave behind of your own accord for the glory of God.
Many born-again believers are willing to accept, in time, the loss of those items in their lives that were not being used for His glory, if He decides to take from you your house and home, a precious loved one, we can generally understand His reasons in time, hindsight, as it is said, is perfect vision. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15) Free will has little determining factor when something is removed from us against our desires, free will does not stop fires and floods, our greatest strength cannot stop the terminal disease that is killing our loved one, we have much less free will in this life than we would like to believe.
Not what is taken then against our will, but that which we give up freely, the reasons why, and the juncture we must come to before we make those decisions with no animosity toward either the Lord or ourselves is the question of this letter to you today. Every person, yes, even the followers of Christ, are hoarders, what we have we rarely desire to let go of, unless it is replaced with something of greater value to ourselves. You may name it in any form you choose, but it is in your life, and more than likely in many forms. The one who will not relinquish the trinkets of this world will find no eternal treasure waiting for them in heaven.
If the Lord calls, we are to answer the call, forsaking everyone and everything else in our lives. Whether those loved ones can understand or not, if you are positive it is the Lord leading, you must place them in the past, they must not come before Christ. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) It is easier when He takes, it is much more difficult to give.
There is someone or something in each of our lives that is keeping us from discovering Christ fully, no matter what it is though, it is you that will not let go. It makes no difference what excuses we give; not one reason will stand before God if you hinder His work to transform you into the image of His Son. This should be easy for us, all that we presume to own, will not last, we hold onto illusions. These same precepts are found within ourselves outside of the material, pride, envy, vanity, we hold them tighter than any other item, for they are at the core of our being. We want the recognition of others for our accomplishments, when it cannot be found, we will congratulate ourselves, we hold within us a strength that is fleeting at best, and is guaranteed to wain as the years approach. We will not let go, we want to keep what we have, and we find ourselves failing at every attempt to do so.
Have you ever given any thought to Peter’s wife, Mark’s children, any of those in the Scriptures or even to this day, those who are left behind when the call comes to a man. Who has the more difficult task, the man who determines to set his face like a flint to follow Christ, no matter the consequences or cost, no matter who must be left behind, or the ones left behind, who, although still on the path that the Lord has set before them also, must watch as the years go by the sunsets alone.
There is a love for Jesus that we are to have that must surpass the love of anything or anyone else, it must consume us, He must be all we seek. What is termed in the Scriptures as dying to self, (Gal. 2:20) is not understanding why He has removed from you certain things in this life, it is giving them over to Him freely, by our own free will we kill all that we are, know, and hold dear, for the prize that is Christ. Without thses actions, no man can serve Him fully, no one can call Him Lord of all in their life.
