PRAYER OF 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.
Acts 21:10–16
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
CONSIDER THIS
Did Paul have a death wish?
What are we to make of his steadfast rejection of the apparent wisdom from the body of Christ? Why wouldn’t he listen? Remember a few days back he gave us this journal entry:
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (20:22–24)
Does Paul give no credence to the idea of the Holy Spirit speaking to him through the church? After all, there were so many places Paul could have gone other than Jerusalem.
But then, there’s that guy named Jesus. Remember him? “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51 ESV).
And then there’s that “mind of Christ” thing Paul talked about. You remember: “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus [who] . . . [became] obedient to death” (Phil. 2:5–11).
And then, there’s Paul’s other now famous quotes, like this one:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Phil. 1:21–24)
And then there’s this one:
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:6–8)
Here’s my take on Paul. He had released his claim to his own life, which made him totally abandoned to God, which left him completely free. Paul died a long time before his death. The confounding logic of eternal life is this: Die before you die and then all is life.
Can you grasp that? Will you? It’s probably the most important thing I’ve ever had to say.
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness. I long to be like you. And I know this doesn’t happen by my own striving but by your abiding in me.
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness.
I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
THE JOURNAL PROMPTS
What do you make of this invitation to “die before you die”? How do you relate to Paul’s statement, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” I find it very challenging.
THE HYMN
Today we will sing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (hymn 221) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. Get your copy here.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
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2 Responses
Two other quotes came to my mind, another one from Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” ( Galatians 2:20) And “ When Christ calls a man,” says Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “ he bids him come and die.” (The Cost Of Discipleship) The real answer to the question every potential disciple must be completely committed to, in order to finish the race well is this: “Is Christ Jesus worth it?”
Who will set aside
Ego and pride
And humbly say today,
“The Holy Spirit says,”
And who will say,
“Lord have your way,”?
When I see a rainbow
On the screen of the sky
Its glorious splendor
Makes my hope rise high
Far beyond self-focus
And proud humanity.
Jesus told His disciples,
“You will be my witnesses,”
And gave us the task
Of testifying to
The things that we
Have seen and heard
Christ say and do
Within us,
Even if we’re just a few.