April 17, 2004

[Ember]

From http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/utmost/

Quote[/b] ]When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment . . . and plunged into the sea
—John 21:7

Quote[/b] ]Have you ever had a crisis in your life in which you deliberately, earnestly, and recklessly abandoned everything? It is a crisis of the will. You may come to that point many times externally, but it will amount to nothing. The true deep crisis of abandonment, or total surrender, is reached internally, not externally. The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.

Have you deliberately committed your will to Jesus Christ? It is a transaction of the will, not of emotion; any positive emotion that results is simply a superficial blessing arising out of the transaction. If you focus your attention on the emotion, you will never make the transaction. Do not ask God what the transaction is to be, but make the determination to surrender your will regarding whatever you see, whether it is in the shallow or the deep, profound places internally.

If you have heard Jesus Christ’s voice on the waves of the sea, you can let your convictions and your consistency take care of themselves by concentrating on maintaining your intimate relationship to Him.

 

[Ember]

Today's reading discusses some of the differences between maintaining a meaningful relationship with God and just sort of going through the motions. It is when we surrender ourselves totally to Him that we are truly equipped for the crises life brings us.

Quote[/b] ]The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.

Sometimes, as Christians, it's easy to drop a few external things and think, "this is good enough." But what does it say of us when we so stubbornly cling to our old self?

I love the use of the word "transaction" here. A couple of definitions:

Quote[/b] ](1) Something transacted, especially a business agreement or exchange. (2) Communication involving two or more people that affects all those involved; personal interaction.

I'm kinda dorky, but when I think "transaction," I think of going to the bank and completing a bank transaction. I suppose I could walk up to the teller, hand her a blank deposit slip, and leave - many observers wouldn't even realize that no real transaction had taken place. That would be pretty dumb though. I still wouldn't have any money in the bank, so what's the point?

God wants us to receive all He has to offer, and, by moving beyond mere emotion, we can face each day with joy and be at rest in His many blessings.