Life Yielded - How?
Cleansing
Yielding to Christ is a final act. Such yielding of the life as we have been considering is irreversible; it need no be repeated. If it has been done honestly it is for time and eternity. Great perplexity of heart has come to countless souls over this matter of repeated surrender so let us be clear as to what has been done and then we shall see how irrevocable the act has been.
Through yielding to Christ we have acknowledged that we are not our own and we have transferred the ownership of our life from self to Christ. Henceforth the life is no longer ours. A re-surrender implies that the transfer had not been honestly made.
Of course one does not know all that is involved in this initial act of surrender or all that it will require of one. When you begin to live only and wholly for God there will be constant revelations of portions of the life still virtually held by self as its own possession. The heart will be made conscious of unwillingness to relinquish certain rights and privileges so long enjoyed. What, then, must one do as these revelations come? Does one need to make a surrender of the life over again? No, that was done once for all. Simply say, "Lord, this thing which I am still claiming and holding as my own was part of that whole which I yielded to Thee. It, too, belonged in that initial surrender. I thank Thee for Thy faithfulness in showing me that it is unyielded and just now I give it into Thy possession and place it under Thy control."
There is an initial act of yielding that is to be followed by a continuous attitude so that as we come to know God and His will better through daily communion we yield instantly to Him any unyielded place or thing. Someone has tersely said, "Surrender is a crisis that develops into a process."
May I use a very homely illustration? A man and woman through mutual faith and love yield themselves to each other in marriage. Neither of them knows then all that is involved in this surrender to each other. The wife knew that her time must be given to making the home but she had not realized how little opportunity would be left for the things she had formerly done. She rebels and uses time for things which necessitates neglect of home duties. Misunderstanding and estrangement follow. Or the husband knew that money would be required to care for his wife and supply the needs of the home but he did not know what extravagant tastes she had nor what a poor manager she was. So he has to use money he wished to spend on his business or his own pleasure. He rebels and trouble ensues. What do this husband and wife do? Do they remarry each time such a misunderstanding or disagreement comes? Even the idea is absurd. If they are sensible and truly love each other they will acknowledge that there was more in the marriage vows than they realized at the time; each will recognize that all, not a part, was given in the mutual surrender and each will be willing to yield unselfishly and gladly to whatever makes for their mutual interest and welfare. Happy and harmonious married life demands not only an initial act of yielding but a continuous attitude of yielding.
We who have loved the lord and believed in Him are united to Him. "Ye also are become dead to the law, by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead." But no one of us ever knew when we entered into oneness with Christ all that would be involved in such a union. But as we live with Him we learn more of His desires, His will, His purposes, His plans, and we see many things in our life contrary to these. This does not, however, necessitate another surrender but only an instantaneous yielding of the thing to Him.
From the human standpoint the first condition for a life lived on the highest plane is the definite, voluntary, final yielding of the life to Christ as Lord. The primary requirement for the fullness of the Holy Spirit has been met. "When we surrender our sins and believe we receive the Holy Spirit; when we surrender our lives and believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The receiving of the Spirit is God's answer to repentance and faith; the fullness of the Spirit is God's answer to surrender and faith. At conversion the Spirit enters; at surrender the Spirit, already entered, takes full possession. The supreme human condition of the fullness of the Spirit is a life wholly surrendered to God to do His will."
I once visited a college to conduct evangelistic meetings. I was entertained in a home in which the guestroom was over the kitchen and was approached by an outside stairway. Very soon my trunk arrived I was alone in the house. As It was raining very hard, I decided to have the trunk put into the downstairs. I started to open one door but could not - it was locked. I went to another door as there were three in a row, and put my hand on the knob to open it but could not - it too was locked. I tried the third door but with no better success - it also was locked.
Suddenly seized with a strange sense of aloneness I rushed upstairs to the little back room guest chamber - the only place in the house I was expected to use. To be a bit more conscious of the warm, living, loving presence of my Christ I kneeled by the bedside to pray. Instantly He spoke to me, saying, "Do you not know that is the way thousands of people treat Me? They invite Me into their lives and then they put Me away in a little back guest chamber and there they expect Me to stay. But I long to enter into every room of their lives and share all their experiences."
Oh! my friends, where have you put the Lord Jesus Christ in your life? Have you any locked doors? Have you put Him away in some little hidden corner and given Him no freedom in your life? Has He longed to get into the social hall of your life where all your pleasures are? Has He put His nail-pierced hand on the door, longing to enter, but could not - for it is locked from the inside? Has He wanted to enter into the room where your business was carried on and share in both its projects and profits? Has He been denied entrance because shady, crooked practices went on there which His all seeing eye would detect? Has He longed to enter into the room where life plans were being shaped and to help in the fashioning of them? And He tried the door but entrance was denied - locked from the inside? And has He who longs to fill and to bless you gone back to His little upstairs back room with a grieved and sorrowful heart?
I went from that college town to another. My hostess there was a dear widow. Her home was very humble. We ate in the kitchen but oh! such hospitality I have seldom enjoyed. Every good thing which her fugal means would permit her to provide she had for me. The first day she said to me, "Miss Paxson, my home is very humble but while you are here it is all yours. Go where you want to and do just what you want to - just make yourself at home." And I, who traveled constantly, oh! how I spread out over that whole house and made it mine for the few days I was there!
Oh! friends, is the Lord Jesus living within you? Have you ever said to Him, "Lord Jesus, I have only a very simple life to offer you as a dwelling place but while you are here it is all yours. Go where you want to, do what you want to - just make yourself at home!" He waits for just such an invitation. How quickly He will accept it when once honestly offered and how He will spread out over the whole life - truly making Himself at home. If you have not unlocked all the doors from the inside and given Him a gracious and glad invitation to enter, will you do so today?
"I believe on the name of the
Son of God,
Therefore I am in Him:
Having redemption through His blood
And life through His Spirit.
And He is in me, and all fullness is in Him.
To Him I belong
By purchase; conquest and self-surrender.
To me He belongs for all my hourly need.
There is no cloud between my Lord and me
There is no difficulty inward or outward, that
He is not ready to meet in me today.
The Lord is my keeper."
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 1 - "The Believer's Part in Becoming Spirit-filled - Faith")
No comments:
Post a Comment