You don’t get real with God until you give up this …
A man who made his living buying items at auctions and then reselling them for a profit was teaching his son the business. He told his son before ever bidding on any item, you must set your upper limit. You have to know how much you’re willing to pay, but not a penny more.
A lot of us have adopted this philosophy in our relationship with God.
We’ve set an “upper limit.”
We’re willing to go only so far, but not an inch further.
Some are willing to do whatever God wants. And they’re willing to go wherever He leads. So what’s the upper limit? They’re not willing to be fully who He wants them to be.
It’s one thing to do something, or to be somewhere, even if your heart isn’t entirely in it. It’s another to be someone you don’t want to be.
We talk a lot about Christianity being a relationship, but it is more than that. It is Jesus Christ transforming you into an entirely new person! It’s more than doing things, or a matter of where you are. It’s who you are becoming in Christ.
That’s why we often make the “who” our upper limit. If we hang onto the “who,” we remain “master” of our lives. You never really surrender until you give up the “who.”
Jesus Christ wants your “who.”
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Scotty
July 1, 2012 at 6:15 pm
I always wonder what we could accomplish for the Kingdom if we would rid ourselves of 'self'. Of all the sacrifices I think most people find this the hardest of all. I daily try to die more to self…sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. Excellent again, Scotty..
July 1, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Thanks, Linda. I think it doesn't even take a close look to see that most Christians — at least, those living in the West — rarely ever "sacrifice" at any level for Christ. What we consider sacrifices are conveniences in some parts of the world. But when we look at truth and value, to sacrifice life itself is not too much to ask for considering what Jesus Christ has done for us. But even then, we know by surrendering our lives, we receive greater life!