JULY 11

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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2 Corinthians 1:20

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

Acts 17:28

“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”

1 Corinthians 1:28-29

“and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

1 Corinthians 1:31

“that, as it is written, “ ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’”

Colossians 3:17

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Ephesians 1:18

“the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

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We are reading a book by Corrie ten Boom, with daily recordings she made to broadcast over Trans World Radio.  Her Dutch family  sheltered Jews during the Nazi invasion of Holland.  As a result, she, her sister Betsy and their father were taken to concentration camps in Germany. The Lord did many miracles to allow both Corrie and Betsy to bring the Gospel to the other women in their camp.   Their father was murdered in an extermination camp and Betsy was sick, dying just two weeks before Corrie and the rest were freed.  After her freedom, Corrie traveled the world, telling everyone even in remote areas, about salvation through Christ, besides radio and writing many books.  This one is entitled, “Not I, but Christ.”

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WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

A child of God must surrender to our heavenly Father and has the privilege of doing so many times.

The beginning is to be born as a child of God.  The Lord Jesus calls this “new birth.”  The Bible says:  “As many as received Him to them He gave the power to become the sons of God.”

Colossians 2:6 says:

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,”

Someone said to me:  “I have surrendered several times to the Lord – again a little while ago, during a conference.  I felt so happy.  But it only lasted a short time and everything was gone again.”

If this is your experience, you must change the direction of your look.  You looked at yourself, and you could not persevere.  Look at the Lord to whom you surrendered.

If God began the work of your complete surrender and if God accepted your surrender, then He will take care of you and hold you.  Do you believe this?

In the matter of complete surrender, two are involved:  God and me.  I am nothing at all.  God is the eternal and almighty Lord.  Are you afraid to entrust yourself to this powerful Savior?  God wants to do His part.  Don’t you think He can hold you, moment by moment, day by day?  God makes the sun shine every day, even though it is sometimes hidden behind the clouds.  Can’t God likewise let His life shine on you and me, moment by moment, day by day, without interruption?  Why did you not experience this?  Because you  didn’t trust Him.

A  life of surrender does have difficulties.  It is not only difficult, it is impossible for men to persevere.  But by God’s grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, it is THIS life to which we are called and – praise the Lord! – He can and will persevere.

Did you ever hear of George Muller?  On his ninetieth birthday he was asked the secret of his continuous joy and happiness.  He answered:  “There are two things.  One is that by the grace of God I have had a good conscience day by day.  The other is that I have so much loved the Word of God, the Bible.”  This is a good description of a surrendered life:  a good conscience because of obedience to the Lord day by day in His strength and mercy, and fellowship with the Lord through reading the Bible and in prayer.

We must be willing to do what God wants us to do. The other requirement is letting God do what HE wants to do.

Surrender to God’s will.  You don’t always know what that is, but then just say:  “By Your mercy I want to do Your will in all things, every minute of every day.  May no word I say be without Your glory, no activity apart from Your glory, everything according to Your blessed will”

Is this possible?  What did God promise in 1 Corinthians 2:9? 

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

His blessings surpass your imagination –divine riches!

I want you to say and to do something.  Say:  “I surrender completely to the Lord and His will, to do only His will.”  God Himself will enable you to work out your surrender.

Then say:  I surrender completely to the Lord that He may work in me, and live in me according to His good pleasure, as He promised.”  Only through surrender to the Lord Jesus can we know true freedom.

Yes, God wants to work in His children in a way we cannot understand.  And He wants to do this every day, every moment.  We only have to trust Him as a child does. 

Who is responsible?  Ahab said to his enemy Benhadad:  “My lord, O king….I am yours and all that I have.”  (1 Kings 20:4).

If we say this to God, His blessing comes upon us;  He accepts us and will teach us what it means.

When you pour tea, you use a clean, empty cup.  If the cup has ink or vinegar in it you cannot use it.

God will fill us and bless us, if we give ourselves completely to Him and are emptied of ourselves.

There was a time when so many responsibilities came to me that they nearly frightened me.  So many meetings, so much traveling, and more and more different kinds of work – great opportunities, but oppressing.   I wasn’t as strong as ten years before. 

So I told everything to the Lord.  How wonderful it is that He understand us better than we do ourselves!  Then the Lord asked me:  “did you surrender completely to Me?”

I could answer:  “Yes, Lord, a hundred percent.”

“Do you know that when you do not possess anything anymore, that you are just a steward of that which you have?  This means that I (God) am responsible.  You only must obey Me and follow Me and then I am your victory, your strength, your all.”

I knew what God meant.  I remembered the time when I was alone in a prison cell, owning nothing but the clothes I was wearing.  Life before I was imprisoned had been very hard.  We were responsible for hundreds of Jews, hiding with many families.  We had to take care of food, hospitals, funerals, and hundreds of other things.  When I was there all alone, one day the thought came:  I don’t possess anything.  I cannot do anything, but neither have I any responsibility.

Other underground workers during the war experienced this when, after dangerous and strenuous, but often successful, work to save Jewish children and adults, they suddenly found themselves alone in a cell and could no longer do anything.  It was not voluntary, just like Ahab was in Benhadad’s power.  But I understood what it meant to possess nothing and not to have any responsibility. 

When the Lord asked me whether I had given all to Him, it was quite different.  It was a blessed, altogether glorious surrender into His loving hands.  Then I knew that not I but He had all responsibility.  This gave me such rest and peace.  Suddenly I saw how dynamic is surrender to the Lord.  His ability, His omnipotence, His perfect insight and discernment, His love are so much greater than what I, in my shortsightedness, had considered my duty – to do all this work in MY strength and MY ability.

Now MY strength, and MY ability are no longer reckoned with.  Everything depends on HIS ability and HIS power.

Suddenly I saw Gideon, weak and afraid.  But the angel said to him:  “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12).  Because the Lord was with him, he was a strong hero.

I was so happy after this talk with the Lord that I said to Him:  “O Lord, I should so much love to see You.”

The Lord answered:  “Look at your left hand.”

And then I saw that my hand was in another hand and that this hand was pierced.  How safe!

No longer I, but He, in me:  Jesus, crucified but also risen, also glorified.  He in me; I in Him.

We must not try to understand this.  It is incomprehensible, but so safe.  Hand in hand with Jesus.

Just walk with Him.  He is the victor, and He wants to make you and me more than conquerors. 

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Lord, I thank You that it does not depend on me, but on You.  I trust You to be willing to live in me, to hold me and to make me strong in a life lived to Your honor.  Lord, please listen now to those who say this with me.  You see, Lord, who is reading this and saying with me: 

“Take my life completely.”  Amen

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