Have you ever thought of what reckless abandonment towards the Lord looks like? I recently heard a great teaching on it. The subject really hit home to me and I think abandonment is a lesson we all need to learn.
To really understand what abandonment looks like, we need to know first what it means.
Dictionary.com defined abandon this way:
1. to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert
2.to give up the control of
3. to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses, usually without self-control
So when you say you want to abandon your life to the Lord you are giving up the control you have, forsaking it completely, yielding it wholly to the Lord....
This is a huge undertaking!!! To give up everything in your life and give it to the Lord isn't easy at all.... It's not just giving up the things sinful things that are in our lives, its bigger than that!! It's yielding all your wishes, plans, dreams, your life style, preferences, your very being to the Lord. Giving it all to Him to do with as He sees fit. Not holding anything back, but letting Him have utter control!
WOW! It's mind boggling just writing it out! We live in a society that puts great value on make your own choices, doing your own thing, it's your life to live as you please......
I found this scripture that pretty much sums up how we ought to live "our" life in Christ:
"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.....I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 3:7-8, 14
We must let go of everything, offer it up to the Lord, in order to gain all that is Christ!
We have no right to hold anything back from the one who made us! Like I said it is not an easy process nor is it a quick one, but think of how awesome it is to have our whole lives living for Jesus!!
"I have but one desire now–to live a life of reckless abandon, putting all my energy and strength into it."
–Ed McCully, Missionary Martyr
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3 comments:
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the post. I would add to what you said by mentioning that it means totally submitting to God's will...(something that is hard for us at times).
Just the other day or so, dad was talking with us when we read from the book of Jude which said he is a SLAVE of Christ.
As believers, we are slaves to the Lord. But we must not misunderstand the concept of slaves. My dad gave my sisters and I a nice example: back in the 1st century, slaves in Herod's palace were to be respected. If anyone mistreated or insulted the slaves it was considered an insult to the king, and punishable.
So it is with us.
Even the centurion who came to Christ on behalf of his slave...it showed the slave had a special status in that household.
We also hold a special place in God's heart because we are His children- but at the same time slaves. It's probably a hard concept to grasp...
Anyway, just thought I would share my thoughts :)
Rebekah
very good!
Beautiful blog you have here! :)
Blessings,
Moriah
www.uniquelyfashionedforhisglory.blogspot.com
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