For Thy Sake

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24)

A Christian poet of a bygone generation wrote a rather long hymn around a single idea: You can, by three little words, turn every common act of your life into an offering acceptable to God. The words are "For Thy Sake".

All this seems to simple to be true, but Scripture and experience agree to declare that it is indeed the way to sanctify the ordinary. "For Thy sake" will rescue the little empty things from vanity and give them eternal meaning. The lowly paths of routine living will be these words be elevated to the level of a bright highway. The humdrum of our daily lives will take on the quality of a worship service and the thousand irksome duties we must perform will become offerings and sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus.

To God there are no some offerings if they are made in the name of His Son. Conversely, nothing appears great to Him that is given for any other reason that for Jesus' sake. If we cannot die for Christ we can live for Him, and sometimes this is more heroic and will  bring a larger reward.

"For Thy sake." These are the wondrous words which, when they are found in the heart as well as in the mouth, turn water into wine and every base metal into gold.

Lord, whatever seemingly small thing I am called on to do today, let me do it joyfully for Your sake. Amen

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Worshipful Resignation

"And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good" (1 Samuel 3:18)

This idea was once expressed better by a simple-hearted man who was asked how he managed to live in such a state of constant tranquility even though surrounded by circumstances anything but pleasant. His answer was as profound as it was simple: "I have learned," he said, "to cooperate with the inevitable".

Though we cannot control the universe, we can  determine our attitude toward it. We can accept God's will wherever it is expressed and take toward it an attitude of worshipful resignation. If my will is to do God's will, then there will be no controversy with anything that comes in the course of my daily walk. Inclement weather, unpleasant neighbors, physical handicaps, adverse political conditions - all these will be accepted as God's will for the time and surrendered to provisionally, subject to such alterations as God may see fit to make, either by His own sovereign providence or in answer to believing prayer.

Lord, I determine to cooperate with the inevitable today and to accept Your will for my life, whatever that might entail. "It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good" (1 Samuel 3:18). Amen

~A. W. Tozer~