Give it Up
Matthew 26:39 Then Jesus went on a little farther away from them. He fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want."
We have a habit, you and I, of clinging to things for dear life, even when it becomes clear that God is calling us to give that thing up for His sake. It’s not easy is it?
From time to time there have been things that I’ve really wanted to hang on to. For instance, a house that we owned, some years back, I just really liked this place. It was comfortable, it felt like home.
One evening I was sitting upstairs in the master bedroom, feeling all at peace, just enjoying this lovely home that God had given us, when a deeply disturbing question, popped into my head:
If God asked me to give this place up, would I be able to let it go?
I know that was the Holy Spirit prompting me, challenging me. Of course, this home was a gift from God. Of course, He’d blessed us through it, but I realised then and there, that if I put this house before God, I was putting something else before Him, and that right there, is the definition of an idol.
Honestly, it’s something I struggled with, prayed over and thought about for a long time, until I finally came to the conclusion, that if God ever asked me to move from that house, I’d give it up. It turns out, He did. And by His grace He taught me that even though sometimes I want things this way, or that, His way is by far the best way.
Matthew 26:39 Then Jesus went on a little farther away from them. He fell to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don’t make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want.”
When the Lord calls you to give something up, don’t hang onto it for dear life.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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