October 12

“What can He do but take possession of the soul that surrenders itself to Him?  And of course He sanctifies that which is His own.  Everything given to God becomes, by that very act, holy and set apart for His use alone.”  Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 9/28

How many times do we “take” our problems to God, and then leave with them?  We think just letting God look at them will some how make all the difference.  It’s sort of like our children running up to us with a cut on their finger, then running off before we have a chance to clean and bandage it.  Matthew 23:19 says the altar makes the gift sacred.  If we would but see our troubles as gifts from God meant to be put on His Holy Altar so that they can be sanctified, we would receive help in our time of need.  Yesterday while singing the song ^♫Just Forget About Yourself^♫ I realized that looking after myself originated in my childhood because my parents, while there physically, were not there emotionally.  I also realized I continued that behavior into my adulthood.  Now, I felt God was calling me to stop looking after myself and instead to let Him look after me. The only way I will ever be able to change my old self-reliant habit is to make sure I never take back something I’ve laid on God’s altar.  Each time I find myself running back to retrieve it I will remind myself that it belongs to God now.  It’s His, not mine.  And I will praise Him.

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”  Hebrews 13:15