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CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
CONSIDER THIS . . .
Why is Proverbs 3:5–6 the most-trinket-engraved verse in the whole Bible? Why is it claimed as perhaps the most favorited life-text in the world?
For starters, it’s a beautiful aspiration, but that alone can’t account for its popularity. I have a theory on why.
It’s true. These twenty-nine words capture in compendium form the whole of Scripture. Millions upon millions of ordinary Christians like you and me have seen it proved true in our lives.
There’s a small, yet comprehensive word appearing twice in the text. I would like to bring it to the fore. The word is: all. In verse 5, we see, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart,” and in verse 6 we see, “in all your ways acknowledge him” (emphasis mine). This accounts for the gap between the magnets on our refrigerators and our Monday mornings. All means all. Until we begin to come to grips with the totalizing nature of this little word, we are destined to some variety of an uninspiring version of nominal faith. It’s not being an all-or-nothing kind of person that gets us. It’s being an all-or-something kind of person.
Most people who lack the faith to go all-in also lack the courage to get all-out. As a consequence, they remain stuck in a lukewarm netherland.
May I be emphatic? The Christian faith of the Bible is all or nothing. Settling for the easy out of “At least I’m doing something” is not biblical faith. It’s nominal Christianity. The enemy of our age is not doing nothing. It’s the mentality that says something is enough.
To be clear, all doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out and sealed up. All is not measured by perfect attendance, good behavior, or charitable giving. My all cannot be measured by your assessment. Only God can know because it’s about the two all-consuming, intangible dispositions of our inmost self: trust and submission (or surrendered-ness). This must be resolved at the subterranean level of one’s will—far beneath the ephemeral nature of emotion.
The greatest gift we can give to one another is to become graciously yet brutally honest with ourselves. Resolve to be all-in today. Abandon yourself to God in trust and submission.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, save me from the easy seduction of settling for something. Deliver me from the muddle of mediocrity all around me and the subtle ways I sit in judgment of it. Awaken me to the awareness that an authentic “nothing” is better to you than a vague “something.” Come, Holy Spirit, and grant me the courage of Jesus to go all-in. I surrender my will to you. I trust in you. Thank you for going all-in for me. In Jesus’s name, amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
How might we cease judging the faith of others and truly come to grips with the nominal nature of our own faith? Would you consider surrendering the totality of your will to Jesus Christ? What keeps you from this? What do you think would happen if you ceased being a “something” person and became an “all-in” person? What does Scripture say would happen?
SING
Today, we will sing “Trust and Obey” (hymn 334) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
John David (J. D.) Walt Jr. is the Sower-in-Chief for Seedbed and the pastor of the Gillett Methodist Church in Gillett, Arkansas.
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6 Responses
When my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Dementia, God gave me “ Stay in the day”. Even though Jim passed away in 2021, “ Stat in the Day” remains my mantra.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is my life verse. Over the years it has proven itself true over and over.
My verse for this year is Galatians 5:22-23 with emphasis on the word “ love”. I have a sense that God is going to give me many opportunities this year to test my “ love” , causing me to lean into all of the other gifts of the Spirit. I also know I cannot do any of this without His grace and mercy.
“Stay in the day” – I like it and I’m grabbing that one too, Sandy. Thanks!
Thank you so much for Wake Up Call. I have enjoyed all the speakers and singers for December, and Proverbs sets consecration for me for this year. Thank you so much.
I am changing and becoming submissive and meek in challenges that come every week or sometime every day.
To trust in the Lord with all your heart is to set aside your own understanding and to surrender your will and all your ways to Him so that He, Himself, can begin to daily direct your paths and behaviors. (Proverbs 3:5-6) That’s not a lukewarm nominal faith. It’s faith that burns in the heart, (Luke 24:32) seeks first the kingdom — inner government — of God and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) and unceasingly presses toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 3:14)
Jesus calls us to give our all in full surrender. He says: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Jesus made a radical call for self-surrender when told His disciples to shift their priorities and to begin to care for and serve other people in the same way and with the same intensity that they care for and serve their own daily needs. (Matthew 22:39) There’s nothing nominal or lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-16) in biblical Christianity!
Christ wants His followers to go all out in disciple making. (Matthew 28:19) Disciples are doers of the Word not hearers only. (James 1:22) They are made by hands-on Spirit-led training and by demonstrations of the presence of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:4-6)
Disciples are made by Christians assembling themselves together (Hebrews 10:25) so they can be freed up to obey the 50+ New Testament “one another” commands as the Spirit prompts them. (Romans 8:14) Then they can use Scripture not merely to teach biblical information but also to train each other to live in true Spirit-produced righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
Thank you, Steve! Your responses consistently open my eyes, mind and heart to new ways of practically applying what JD has brought to the forefront. Your insights enhance and enlighten me as I reflect on our daily Wake-Up Call.
Darlene
Total surrender being the goal, yet living in my human imperfection, how can I know when I have surrendered/am surrendering to Him? If the best I can do each day or moment is the best I know to do – yet I know I’m still a sinner, it feels like I’m only giving something, falling short of all. (Clearly I struggle with perfectionism,too!) How can I know I am successfully surrendering? Thanks, sisters and brothers!