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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Surrender

Whatever You Will…

November 23, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” –Matthew 26:39.

Those cannot expect to prosper, who do not, by faith and prayer, take God with them in all their ways. –Matthew Henry.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells His disciples He has come, not to do His own will, but that of the Father who has sent Him. He’s come to be obedient even unto death—intent on being fully pleasing to God. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” –Philippians 2:6-8.

Jesus is devoted to His Father, regarding Himself as His Father’s servant. Jesus’ will was, and is still, to wholly bring about the will of His Father. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” –John 6:38.

In our saying yes to Christ, fellow Christians, Paul reminds us in Galatians 2:20 that we, being in Christ, have made the same vow to our Father as Christ has; to obey God in all things—to make Him Lord of every “nook and cranny” of our lives—withholding no thing from Him, even unto our very lives. “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

We are, after all, His Bride, called to live in submission to His Lordship.

There is a reason Jesus tells us to check our hearts and search out the true motive behind our desire to follow Him—to be His disciple. The reason behind our choosing to follow Jesus matters most to God. Is it out of pure love or for personal gain? Because Christ assures us that following Him will cost us our lives.

Those who, like Him, desire to live and die wholly consecrated, set apart to do the will of God—no matter what happens. “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!'” –Luke 14:26-30.

These few then must tally up the costs of our losses, determining their grand total to be as nothing compared to the unplumbed wealth of knowing and serving our Lord and Savior. Leaving behind whatever we believe has been gained here, and now, we must follow Jesus’ example of outright surrender to the Father’s will and plan for our lives—no turning back. “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” –Philippians 3:8.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. / And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” –2 Corinthians 5:14-15. It was God’s will for Jesus to come face to face with His Gethsemane. Be convinced, then, you will face your own Gethsemane, repeatedly—until Christ takes you home.

Trials are part of the Christian’s life and walk, beloved. God uses them—dare I say, sent by Him, to refine our faith by affording us opportunities to die to vestiges of our flesh that, left un-surrendered, would otherwise pull our eyes and will away from God. “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” –James 1:2-4.

Knowing this, then, we each must choose to live fully in that place of final surrender, making friends with death to self, where flesh dies so that we, out true selves, may live in complete submission to God—doing His will, not our own. Choosing to love Him—not just chasing Him for His blessings or favor. Serving and loving Him because of who He is and what loving us—saving us—has cost him.

And yet, we can only do this, lay ourselves down on these “dying-daily” altars, these places of sacrifice, accepting every “we must choose” moment that spans our new life in Him because Christ’s strength alone enables us. Scripture reminds us not even the saintliest of us genuinely seek after God unless He first bids us to do so. “As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!” –Romans 3:10-12.

Friends, trials of various sorts will come in this life—Jesus Himself guaranteed it. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

So I’ll encourage you now, before the trial comes, or perhaps while it’s happening, either way, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus—your Living hope—who, by His example, when faced with a trial far too great for you and me to face, willingly handed over the last iota of His “fully man” flesh to His Loving Father, so that He might finish the saving work He’d have to die to accomplish; leading  Him out of Gethsemane and “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.” And straight to “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” on Golgatha’s Cross.

Friend, if you’re crying out to God, asking Him why He has seemingly forsaken you, why He is allowing this dark trial to crush the very life from you, if you’re asking God to remove that cup of _________ from you, then, like Jesus, you must also be willing to hear God say, “This cup must stay.” Trusting Him—when even the greatest blessing of your life, that breakthrough, the return of your prodigal, the restoration of your marriage or family, your salvation, comes only through your willingness to swallow what is found in the very dregs of “death to self’s” bitter cup. “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” –Luke 9:25.

Trials will come, friends. Will you choose to love, serve, and obey God for who He is when they hit, or will your house fall?

Are you willing to tell God, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” and mean it? Regardless, the cup placed before you? This decision starts when Jesus becomes your Lord and Savior. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, you shall choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.” –Deuteronomy 30:19.

Keep It Simple, Saint.

January 6, 2024 /

Matthew Botelho

“Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.” –Deuteronomy 33:3.

Happy 2024, my dear friends. We all look forward to a fresh start, a clean slate for the coming year. Some might even say, “Thank You, God, this year is over!” I am sure there are many reading this with that mindset. However, may I suggest that we reflect on the accomplishments  God led you into in 2023? Remember always to thank God for those victories and to reflect on the lessons they taught us. Maybe these lessons help you in 2024.

One thing is sure: trials build us up in our faith and bring into focus how much we need to rely on God in all parts of our lives.

I am reminded of the Apostle Peter and what he wrote:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” –1 Peter 1:3-5.  

In this Scripture, first and foremost, Peter remembers God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Then, Peter points us to Jesus, who offers us His abundant mercy and Living hope.

My dear friends, if you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have this incorruptible inheritance. The incorruptible seed of salvation has been placed in you, making you a coheir with Christ, a child of the Most High God. Your inheritance cannot fade away because the Blood of Christ Jesus has sealed you as His own; God’s mercy is over you. Again, Peter focuses first on the Kingdom of God in this Scripture. He is reminding us that God must be first in our lives. Then, without having a relationship with His Son, we should expect no inheritance from God; only children receive a parent’s inheritance.

Peter continues this thought in the following verses: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials; that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found in praise honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” –1 Peter 1:6-7.

Peter is saying we will go through some stuff, maybe like some of the same stuff that made you glad that 2023 is over. But, he’s also telling us that as we go through these trials, we are to rejoice, knowing that our salvation is being worked out in fear and trembling, in awe and wonder of God’s goodness, kindness and mercy towards us.

Friends, as I stated before, if you are God’s child, God’s mercy is on you!

As Peter reminds us, we, as His children, can cast our cares and worries onto Him, who is greater than all of our problems. “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].” –1 Peter 5:7.

But how do we do it, you may ask? I am glad you asked that question. The answer is found in verse seven, where Peter says. “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Our worshipping Jesus is the key to our being overcomers, dear friends.

Accepting trials with thanksgiving because we trust God is at work in us, our situations, and our lives. Seeking God first during the trials. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus reminds us, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

When we honor God and praise Him with all our heart, Holy Spirit will, as with gold, refine and strengthen our faith; when gold is smelted, impurities are purged, but only when the gold is put into extreme heat. Only then can its impurities be removed by the smelter.

Your faith, as it gets burning hot for Jesus, will grow and become pure if you allow it to stay in the fire.

Do not let that fire burn out, my friends. In Philippians 1:6, the Apostle Paul writes, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God’s Holy Spirit removes our dross, those things that only hinder our faith, so allow Him to rid you of every impurity still clinging to you from 2023; you no longer need it. 

Keep It Simple, Saints.

Love God and surrender fully to Him. Trust Jesus, sit at His feet, and receive from Him. Let Him who began a good work in you do what only He can as you offer more and more of yourself to Him in worship. “He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 1:6.

If you are reading this for the first time and feel a tug on your heart, please know it is the Lord Jesus knocking. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him. And he with Me,” I pray you will receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today. I pray you will repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your life. Today is the day of salvation! Do not let this moment go by. Receiving the Lord’s salvation will be the most incredible way to start your New Year. Amen

Abandon. Philippians 3:7-9.

February 15, 2020 /
“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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith”.

Oh happy state! to be perfectly acquiescent, to lie passive in His hand, and know no will but His” –Spurgeon.

Paul realized he would never achieve perfection in his lifetime. Neither will we. Nor will that greatest of saints we’re able to call to mind. That state of perfection, Paul knew, had recently spoken of, would come in that glorious moment when he, once for all, would leave his earthen vessel in the very dust from which it was created, and return, at last, to our Father’s house. Having attained, only then, the fullness of all that Christ had for him. Standing, finally, in his heavenly body in the presence of the King he had longed to see face to face.

Perhaps it was this realization, in part, which drove Paul to live his life then, resigned to press, ever forward, in continuous surrender to this God he lived for. Since knowing he would not reach that perfect state this side of heaven, he determined in his heart than, to become more Christlikeduring his time here on earth. We would do well to follow after his example. Paul understood his own wretchedness, outside of Christ. He was as aware (through the revelation of the Holy Spirit) of his natural, unchecked inclinations, as any man true to himself is, and, of just how easy it can be to follow after those desires of the flesh. Yet he did not try to hide his sin nor the once blind, dogmatic, beliefs he’d held. Rather he exposed his weakness. Confessing them before God and man, allowing us an unabashed view of his humanity.

The thorn of searing regret ever stuck in his flesh; stayed only by the grace of God from hindering his work and overpowering his mind. “though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” Philippians 3:4-9.

And, it’s not only in this Third Chapter of Philippians but also in Romans 7, that we witness this same forthrightness. Where we hear Paul’s confession, his angst. Where we bear witness to this very real, very human realization; one felt by us each, at some point in our walk with our Lord. “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway” Romans 7: 18-19. Paul has so aptly put into words for us all what it like to live in this awareness of the ongoing war waging within every child of God. Listen to what he writes in Galatians 5:17 concerning this same battle: “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.”  Paul’s transparency allows us—aides us, in acknowledging that this same battle raging within him, wages within our own hearts as well. It rages, recognized, or not. Acknowledged, or not. Alive within the murky depth of, or the shame-filled, fear-filled, fractured surface of, every heart in whom He has placed His Spirit.

Yet, thankfully, Paul, via the illumination of the Holy Spirit, does not leave us there to figure out how best to fight, to gain ground, claim new territory, to have victory over, this ongoing battle he’s so freely spoken of—our base-ness. Rather, he points us towards Christ, towards the most advantageous, power-full battle stance any Christian can assume. Paul lets us know that any victory we may attain, any ground we’ll ever claim for the Kingdom, any success in ministry or relationship (think John Mark here) will only be found, attained, experienced, known, realized only in complete abandon to the will of God. Such abandon that, though ready to wage war on any foe at a moment’s notice, we recognize the battle we’re engaged in is not ours, it’s God’s. And, though, we are called to stand and fight, our victory has been assured by the finished work of the Cross. We never fight alone. We are incapable, in any real sense, of fighting in our own strength; without that is, doing more harm than good.

Beloved, for as long as we continue to reside this side of heaven, the Godliest of us will sin, falling ever short of God’s perfect standard. Paul knew this. I pray each of us, as God’s children, will come to truly know it as well. And, that, from such knowledge, our striving will cease. A total surrender takes place, and a complete abandon of our will be offered; freely, lovingly, whole-heartedly to our Lord. That whosoever will are released, as Paul was, I was, you were, he, she, and they were, each, freed from the bonds of religion, from the onerous striving to measure up to a standard only One could ever meet, Jesus. That perfect Lamb in whom all our striving after righteousness finds its rest. Just as one straightaway trusts water beneath them as a surety on which to surrender themselves, to float, be held up, may we with greater abandon yet, surrender our will with even greater surety to God. I pray our surrender to be so complete, we will only recognize its absence in that very hour we are safely home with Him….

Friend, how incredibly grateful I am to know, be certain of the fact, that when God sees me today, He sees Jesus. That because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, now, because of what He has done, I am covered, as with a royal robe, in Jesus’ perfect Righteousness. And I so want that knowing, that certainty, that peace to be yours as well. If you have come this far with me and find yourself asking, “what’s next?” “Where now?” I strongly encourage you to ask this Jesus into your own life, as Lord and Savior, you did not come this far by chance…

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” –Galatians 2:20.

Complete Submergence. Luke 12:50

September 16, 2018 /

 “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!”

A new season is being birthed. And, birthing is a very, messy and painful business. But oh, when that baby comes!

I’d heard it said recently that there’s a moment in each believer’s life where their faith must cross over from doctrinal, head knowledge, a learned faith—into a practical, determined faith. A faith that’s been tested. One that’s been tried in the fire of adversity, of loss. Tried when God says no. When doors are closed and no hint of God’s voice can be heard nor His presence felt.  Faith formed in moments of being pruned so deeply there is no end to our tears. The awakening of such tenacious faith however, often occurs only in the crucible of adversity…

Crucible. A Word that dropped into my Spirit back in early July of this year. And it’s been sitting in my belly until now. It’s defined as follows: a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new: a severe test: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.

I am in such a crucible now. Many of us are. It’s one of those seasons when God is requiring us to dig deeper.  When the “fluff” of casual faith is being sifted away; leaving behind instead, a tried and tangible faith. Truth is, it’s so much easier to preach the Cross of Christ—teach about His Cross—than it is to heft it up on our own all too fragile shoulder and carry it. And yet, for those of us found in Him—called by His glorious name, we are expected to do just that. Carry our Cross that is. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…” –Matthew 16:42. And, although His life-extracting Cross was His alone to carry Jesus was never alone. The Father had ensured He’d been given a helper. Someone who would help Him carry the weigh of His cross. He does the same for us as well. “And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus” –Luke 23:26. The weight of our cross forces us to release the last vestiges of our will. Gods finger on any area of our lives will have that affect on us. And, in our moments of complete surrender the Holy Spirit comes. Our Helper places His shoulder under the weight of our cross. Making the carrying of it possible, sufferable.

So why then, are we so befuddled—feel so betrayed, let down when we’re asked by God to pick up our cross and carry it for a season? Why is this such a shocking thing to us? I by no means know the full answer to the question I’m posing. My purpose in asking it at all is simply to provoke us to think. To drive us into seeking the Lords answer in prayer. To go searching the Scriptures for answers. To start a conversation that might shake us from our sleep. Re-minding us that we were each told one day we’d have a cross of our own to carry. But we forget. Become comfortable in our every-day-ness until the moment that is that our waters are troubled!

Yet there is one thing I know about cross carrying. Of being asked to carry a cross I mean. And it’s this: It is all about Love.  His great Love for us. The Cross is a tangible reminder of love having come and revealed Himself to us—to me. It’s a privilege too. The Cross is our highest example. The most complete definition of Love we have—or will ever know. And we are blessed—honored, to be trusted in having any part of it all…

To be a partaker of His Cross is like witnessing a dad sitting across from his beloved child and, while looking them straight in their eyes, pouring out his heart to them. Filling their ears with every desire he has for them. Every hope and dream he’s ever thought towards them. Lovingly detailing every iota of promise, purpose, and potential he sees within them and all that he would do and give to help draw it out of them; being blessed himself by witnessing their gifts and talents used to change the world He alone created for them, one person at a time. But don’t take my word for it. Pick up your Bible and check out the conversations for yourself. Read the part that details the greatest definition of love ever written: “For God so loved the world…”.

Jesus knew the Cross would be agonizing. Extracting. He knew in the end it would kill Him. Rather, it would kill His flesh…

Nothing could touch His Life. From the beginning that has always been One with the Father. Guarded for all eternity. A sure promise. An Amen. But His flesh, His flesh would have to die in order that the purpose of His birth be accomplished, fulfilled. He would have to completely immerse His will into the Fathers. There is no other way to accomplish the perfect will of God. No half measure will ever suffice. “It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process” –Hebrews 10:14 MSG Bible. So too it is—must be, with us. A relationship with God is all or nothing. Done correctly, it’s an “all-in” commitment. The two become One flesh. His Flesh. Our crosses are intended to kill our flesh that we might, like gold being refined in the fiery furnace, be poured out, rid of those impurities that tarnish—preventing the pure image of Jesus from being seen in and through us to a lost a dying world.

We want the benefits of such a love: the salvation He died to offer us. The blessings and favor and forgiveness a relationship that results from such a love offers. But in our humanity, we run from—reel under, the weight of carrying its cross. We lose sleep. We’re tormented. We question and plead, bargaining with God to remove this cup of suffering from us. I know I did. Jesus understands this about us. He knows our weakness. Knows that though we love God—want to follow Him, we’re weak, frail, incapable, outside of Him to do anything—carry anything, of eternal value. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” —Hebrews 4:15. He understands that the harassment and oppression of anticipation can be as heavy, sometimes more so, than the real thing itself. He understands we just want it to be over. To have passed our test. To have this season behind us. He understands that though we want to do the will of God, the journey towards its end is agonizing. He, better than us all, understands agony. Hence, our Scripture verse today. “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!” –Luke 12:50

He understands we want to do the will of God all-the-while hoping that His will might somehow be fulfilled minus the pain. “And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire” –Matthew 26:39. Yet it’s through Jesus’ impending death, in His total surrender, that we learn some of our greatest lessons about how to truly live. “…not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.” Jesus teaches us just how to drink of the cup that has been passed to us. A cup which, regardless of its bitterness, we are blessed to partake of. “Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword away. Shouldn’t I drink the cup [of suffering] that my Father has given me?” –John 18:11

After we have prayed, we must obey. And as surely as Sunday morning came and His tomb was found empty, so too are we guaranteed our own victory over all suffering. But first—we must completely submerge our will, ourselves, into Him…

Friend, if you have not repented of your sins, not asked God into your life as your Lord and Savior, please do it today! He loves you regardless of the sins you’ve committed. I am sure of this because His Word is True. Because He forgave one such as me, with all of my many sins. Call out to Him today…

 

“Crushed” Luke 14:33

October 29, 2017 /

 “So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Before we jump in to this week’s message, my prayer for you, for me, is this:

That we will give our will’s, our want’s, what may seem ‘right’—sound right to us, over to the will and calling of Jesus. That we will trust Him above all else. Putting to death all the internal chatter that clamors for answers to the life-robbing, peace stealing, ‘why’s’. May the exhale of our every breath be, Thy Will be done. Whether we understand it—or not. Whether it makes sense—or not. Even if we must say yes with wobbly knees and a trembling voice—yes. We say yes. I say yes, to His will, His way, and, yes to His Divine timing… Amen and Amen.

Following Jesus will cost you. A price must be paid—a sacrifice given.  And there is no one in all of Scripture who knew this principle of cost better than Jesus Himself…

He paid the ultimate price for obeying the Will of The Father. Yet He tells us that to do His will—God’s will, is why He came at all. In other words, He specifically came to pay God’s required price. Jesus, while having one of His infamous conversations with the Jews, said it like this: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19). And if the teacher—the One we, as Christians, follow, profess, came to do the will of God—how much more His students? Who are we to feel that because we are followers of Jesus, we’re exempt?That it—our lives, should go off without a hitch?

Unlike Jesus, God may never ask you and me to give up our lives—at least not physically speaking that is.

Yet we are asked to give them up, our lives—to give them back,as a love offering. In faith believing that the One who gave them to us knows far better than we ever could just what to do with them. He knows the ‘when’, and the ‘how to’s’ of us—His plan for us, the purpose, destiny, we were brought into this life to fulfill. And so, He asks us to trust Him completely—to surrender, in faith, to His will and this plan He has for us. Listen to how God said it while talking to the Prophet Jeremiah: “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11). We forget—I forget, that we are not here, were not created to just, ‘hang-out’ on planet earth, feet up, feel’n good. Doing as we please, when we please, for as long as we please. One glimpse of where that thinking got Nebuchadnezzar should dispel any desire for that life (Daniel 4:1-33)!

No!

Just as Jesus was not sent, didn’t come into this world to do His own thing—act on His will, on His desires, rather, to do the will of the One that sent Him—The Father. So too it is with us, if we are connected to Him. “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

The moment you said—I said, we, collectively said yes to God’s call on our lives, yes to His loving offer to return Home to Him—back into a restored relationship with Him, we in fact released our will’s, our plan’s, desire’s, dream’s, destiny’s, children, spouse’s, ministry’s, mother’s, father’s—our very lives, into His Hands that He might fulfill in us His desires for the advancement of His Kingdom through us. “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever” (Hebrews 13:20-21; emphasis my own).

Even when we feel as though, like Jesus apparently did in Gethsemane, that what is being asked of us is more than we can handle—can bear, survive under the weight of, like Him also, we must come to the place of complete surrender. And we must do it repeatedly. Even if it kills us… “And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to show grief and distress of mind and was deeply depressed. Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, What! Are you so utterly unable to stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour? All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again a second time He went away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass by unless I drink it, Your will be done. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down with sleep. So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words” (Matthew 26:37-44).

Gethsemane is a place where a seed, a hope, a ministry, a man, hits the ground as one thing and leaves as another. It’s simply the nature of the place…

It’s a place of extraction, of refinement. People become, things become, a purer version of themselves— after having their life blood separated from their husk’s. Gethsemane is a place of crushing. A place where the last ounce of our humanity—His humanity, was extracted, so that only the Divine, The Pure Will of the Father, may remain. There is a cost to following Jesus. It may very well kill you— actually, it’s meant to. Over, and over, and over again. Until, as with Jesus, the last drop of your humanity is extracted—and all that’s left of you is the shining, Pure Image of Jesus pointing all who witness it, back to The Father. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16).

There is a cost to following Jesus—always has been, always will be. Love costs us something. Jesus knew that better than anyone…

So, the question is not, is there a cost? The real question is, if asked, are you willing to pay it? “But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life… (John 12:24-25).

Are you willing to endure the crushing that takes place in Gethsemane so that what is most precious in you may be brought out of you for the glory of God? “So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7).

The pressing, His pressing, isn’t intended, was never meant to harm you. It has always been intended as a reward for those who, by faith, trust in the exacting process, painful as it may be. Following Jesus will always cost you. But oh what a gain! “But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]” (Hebrews 11:16).

 If God is knocking on the door of your heart, won’t you say yes to Him now—even if it hurts? 

“Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence. [And this He will do] provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister” (Colossians 1:22-23).

 

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