April 27

“Most of us would be glad to be ‘filled with God,’ if God could just come in and ‘fill up’ the places left over from our own self-occupation.  But He is a holy God and He must have a holy place to dwell.   And He must have all of it.  If you feel you simply cannot give Him everything, at least you can begin to expose yourself to His love.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 4/27

This “giving up the right to ourselves” is what keeps most of us from experiencing freedom in Christ.  This is why it usually doesn’t come until we are so disgusted with ourselves that we no longer care to have any “rights” to it.  Can you imagine how much grief we would save ourselves if we’d “just do it”?  Just give all of ourselves to God from the very beginning!  I know that part of my struggle has been to understand just what that means.  It’s been easier to state it in a negative way:  what not to do as opposed to what to do.  For me to say, “I trust you, Lord,” leaves too many questions as to what that means.  Instead I feel the only way to understand is to say, “Lord, I won’t insist on my own way,” or “I won’t allow myself to do this or that because it might pull me away from keeping my focus on You.”  This is what legality is all about--a set of do’s and don’ts.  To just totally rest in God’s love and let Him fill me doesn’t seem right--it’s too simple.  Therein lies our human condition--our need to earn everything and then imposing that belief on others.  No wonder we have such a stress-filled world.  No wonder, Lord, You had to turn the world upside-down.  But I no longer need wonder at all that You love me for I’ve seen Your Son.  Like the morning’s sun He has risen in my heart.

“And to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that you maybe filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19