Campus Pearl Magazine
THE POWER OF A CONSECRATED LIFE
All, all to Jesus, I consecrate anew!
He’s my portion forever,
Only His glory henceforth will I pursue:
He’s my portion forever.
Here’s the rhymes of a song on consecrated life. To consecrate means to voluntarily come to Christ and lay everything you have at the feet of Jesus without hiding anything. When you make up your mind that you are going to walk in the way of the Lord, you will not bend to the right or the left when the days are hard, difficult, tough and when people won’t understand you.
There are people we know in the Bible that committed, consecrated, yielded and surrendered everything to the Lord. Anytime God says something unto them they always said yes and the yes is immediate. They have willing obedience; they have prompt obedience, quick obedience, and unquestionable obedience. They totally surrender to the Lord and give everything to Him. That is the picture of a consecrated life, and because they have given everything to the Lord, Almighty God gives everything back to them. This is the portion, privilege, power, provision and preservation of a consecrated life.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord. Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and bless him, and increased him (Isaiah 51:1-2).
As we talk about Abraham, we are talking about a consecrated life. The Lord called him and he answered. The Lord told him where to go even when he did not know the exact place or spot he was going. That is consecration. A consecrated life is a life that is consecrated unto the Lord and is encouraging others to consecrate their lives also. A consecrated life will not discourage other people from consecrating unto the Lord.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit John 12:24)
A corn of wheat that is kept so precious and treasured by a farmer will abide alone without it bringing forth fruits except it dies. People, who keep their lives, hold them so tight to themselves and will not surrender them to the Lord, will not bring forth fruits. Keeping their lives before a glass, cherishing and appreciating them will remain alone. Once the wheat of corn is planted it dies, and except your life is planted in Christ and dies, it will abide alone. Your self, selfishness, self management, self exultation, the pride of heart have to die. You will swallow your words and keep the words of Jesus when you are consecrated ¦ if any man love me, he will keep my words (John 14:23)
PROPER PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHRISTIAN CONSECRATION
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24). This is an illustration of a consecration. The wife loses the name of the family she belongs to. She takes up the name of the family of the man. She gives up something so as to keep the marriage covenant. In like manner is consecration, the believer comes to Christ, he gives up something so that he can take the name of the heavenly Father. When you become a Christian, all the luxuries of the past, if that will not tally or agree with your relationship with Christ now, you abandon everything and you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, fully surrendered under His control. Everything you got, possessed and owned you will bring to Jesus. All, all to Jesus, I consecrated anew! He is my portion for ever, only His glory henceforth will I pursue. He is my portion for ever.
And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my Lord the king shall appoint. And the king of Israel answered and said, my lord, king, according to thy saying, I am thine and all that I have {2 Samuel 15:15; 1kings 20:4}. This is the language of consecration.
PERSUASIVE PATTERN OF CHRIST CONSECRATION
It is what Jesus has done that helps us to know what we can do for Him. I gave my life for thee, my precious blood I shed, that thou mightest ransomed be, and quickened from the dead. I gave, I gave my life for thee, what has thou given for me? I spent long years for thee in weariness and woe, that an eternity of joy thou mightest know; I spent, I spent long years for thee; Has thou spent one for me?
All that Jesus has done is a persuasive pattern of consecration. What he has done for us is a motivation for us to do everything for Him.
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15).
If Jesus Christ has scarified everything for us. What is it that we can’t sacrifice to Him. My father’s home of light,
My glory-circled throne. I left for earthly night. For wand’rings sad and lone; I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for me? I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell, up bitt’rest agony. To rescue thee from hell; I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what has thou borne for me?.
The consecration of Christ is our pattern, our pursuit, our model and our example. ¦ My meat is to do the will up him that sent me, and to finish his work, I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me (John 4:34; 5:30). This should be the desire of a true child of God. For I come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again (John 6:38; 10:17). No body forced Him or begged Him to consecrate His Life. How is your life and consecration today?
PRIVILEGE AND POWER FOR CONSECRATED CHRISTIAN
When you consecrate yourself to the Lord, God’s power will come upon you, God’s provision will come upon you, and the goodness of God will overflow your life. Christ was exalted by God the Father because of his consecration. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name (Phil. 2:3-11). Abraham, because of his consecration the God said By my self have I sworn, saith the Lord, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven (Gen. 22:16-18). This is what the Lord is calling us into and if we obey the voice of the Lord, great will be our blessing. What is your decision today? Are you saying All to Jesus I surrender. All to him I freely give: I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all, All to thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.