consecrated; the very last thing to be consecrated is your very own
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what kind of Christian they really are. God has taken you and your property out of the world; you should not let it return to the world. When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, not a hoof was left behind. We Should therefore not leave a Single hoof in the world. In and of ourselves we are not able to do Such a thing, we are weak; but thank God, all things are possible through Him. For does not His word say that "I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me"? (Phil. 4.13) This means that when I am empowered by the Lord, I can do all things—even let go of valuable material blessings. Though by ourselves we are unable to offer all, yet through the One who empowers us, we are well able to do So. For Christ is now our life; therefore, we are able.
Many young brothers and sisters give offerings to the Lord when they have only a little money. But when their money increases, they give even less than before. If the Lord has our heart, He should also have our pocketbook. The heart is important; but so is money. Unless the pocketbook is opened, the heart will never be opened.
4. Self—Not only persons, affairs and things need to be consecrated; the very last thing to be consecrated is your very own self. You should offer yourself to God to do His will. I do not know what your future holds, but I do know this one thing: that God has a definite purpose for each one of us. It may not be in the way of prosperity, nor may it necessarily be in the way of suffering. Yet regardless whether it be blessing or suffering, you must be willing to offer yourself to God's will. Many who are willing to be used by the Lord are filled with the Holy Spirit and live a victorious life because they have consecrated themselves to God.
What is to be presented? We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices. The Scriptures never once tell us to present our hearts; it tells us to present our bodies. For no one who has presented himself to God leaves his body unpresented. We present our whole being to the Lord. From this moment forward, our mouth, ears, eyes, hands,
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feet, yea, our entire body, is no longer ours. We are but the Lord's manager of it. From now on, the two hands, the two feet, the two ears and so forth all belong to the Lord, we having no further right over them.
Interestingly, when a young brother in the Lord died, his elderly father told the pallbearers to be careful in their handling of this corpse because through consecration this body had been the temple of the Holy Spirit for over twenty years. Let us be like that young man and not wait till death comes before presenting our bodies to God. Today the Holy Spirit dwells in us, the Lord already abides in us. And that is why God's word says this in 1 Corinthians 6.19: "Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own." There is a hymn which has these challenging words:
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store. Take myself, and 1 will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
—FRANCES R. HAVERGAL
The words of this hymn are a fitting description of total consecration. It is a presenting of our bodies as living sacrifices. No one can say the body is his. No, in our daily lives our entire bodies are for the Lord; we are but managers over them.
On one Lord's day, when the offering plate came to a thirteenyear-old girl, She asked repeatedly that the plate be lowered. As the plate reached the floor, she stood in it. She had no money, so she gave herself!
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Today we too must put our very selves into the offering, as well as persons, works and things. As we put money in on each Lord's day, we put our selves in too. If we leave our selves outside, God will not accept our money. Unless He gets us ourselves, He does not want ours. Yet once He has our very selves, He will automatically have ours as well. Consecration does not necessarily mean to be preachers. The Lord may want you to be good businessmen. We do not choose our particular life's work; we simply tell God that henceforth we will do His will.
The Results of Consecration
What are the results of consecration? One is given in Romans 6, and the other is given in Romans 12. Many do not realize the difference in results, but there is a great difference between these two. In Romans 6, consecration benefits us in that it causes us to bear fruit unto sanctification. In Romans 12, consecration profits God in that His will shall be done. The result of consecration in Romans 6 is that "being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification" (v.22). Day by day, you may live a victorious life. The result of consecration in Romans 12, however, is "that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (v.2c).
You should not conclude that with your letting go, believing, and praising, this is enough. There is a final act, which is to put yourself into God's hands that He may manifest His holiness through your body. In the past, you had no strength to consecrate; now having crossed the threshold of victory, you are able to offer up yourself. Please recall that previously you had no way to place yourself in God's hands; now, though, it is no longer a question of ability but a matter of your will. In the earlier days, you could not; presently, it is that you will not.
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A brother in Australia had given himself completely to God. One day on a train some friends needed a partner in playing cards. They asked him to join. His answer to these friends was that he was sorry but he had no hands; for these hands of his no longer belonged to him but to Someone else. Those hands of his were merely appendages to his body; he had no right, nor did he dare, to use them.
You should have the same attitude as this brother, that you dare not use your hands, your feet or your mouth for yourself because they are now the Lord's. Each time you meet a temptation, you should say that you have no hands. This is consecration according to Romans 6. Such consecration sanctifies you and enables you to bear the fruit of holiness. For this reason, consecration should be the first act as well as the first fruit after victory.
Consecration in Romans 12, on the other hand, is for the sake of God: present your body a living sacrifice. Such consecration is holy and is acceptable to Him. Keep in mind here that this consecration is for the purpose of serving God.
Chapter 6 has in view personal sanctification, whereas chapter 12 has in view the matter of the Lord's work. Both chapter 6 and chapter 12 speak of the matter of sanctification or holiness. What is sanctification? It means a being set apart to be used exclusively by a particular person. Formerly, persons and affairs and things could touch me because I was for my own self; now, though, I am wholly for God.
On one occasion I was refused space by a bus driver when I attempted to board his bus at Jessfield Park.∗ Upon looking carefully, I noticed that it was a charter bus and not a public one. Figuratively speaking, every Christian is chartered, but unfortunately many
∗A public park in the western section of Shanghai.—Translator
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appear to be like public buses. We are not for public use; we are instead chartered, to be set apart entirely for God's will. Romans 12 shows us that notwithstanding our profession, our husband or wife, our children, money or treasure, all must be wholly and singleheartedly for God. We should present ourselves to Him with singleness of purpose and believe at once that He has accepted us because this is in tune with His will and purpose. God does not seek our fleeting zeal. He will not be satisfied until we offer our very selves entirely to Him. Until we have anointed Him with pure nard, He is not pleased (see Mark 14.3). Unless we cast in all the living we have (see Mark 12.44), He is not glorified. Everything must be offered up to God.
We have been raised from the dead and have received the mercies of God. Therefore our consecration is acceptable to Him, and at the same time it is our reasonable service. All Christians, not just special believers, must consecrate themselves. The Lord's blood has bought us; we belong to Him. His love has constrained us, and consequently we want to live for Him.
What kind of sacrifice is it that we offer up to God? According to His word, we are to be living stones, and hence we shall live on; therefore, we are living sacrifices. The sacrifice in the Old Testament period was killed, but we today are a living sacrifice.
In our thus presenting our bodies, the end result is to be the following: "Be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12.2). This is the great goal to be arrived at today. In the past we have spoken much about God having an eternal purpose that is to be fulfilled in His Son. His creation, His redemption, His defeat of the devil and His saving of sinners are all for that purpose. Knowing what is the foreordained eternal purpose of God, we may be able to fulfill that
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which He wants to fulfill. We are here not only for the sake of saving souls. We are here as well for the fulfillment of His purpose.
Without consecration, we cannot possibly see that this will of God is good. Many today are frightened by the very mentioning of God's will. They feel quite uneasy about it and are threatened. Yet Paul testified that once we have presented our bodies as living sacrifices we may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We may sing of the goodness of His will. We may say Hallelujah, His will is truly good. It is good and not evil. It is profitable, because God has no evil thought.
How nearsighted we often are. We fail to see the excellency of God's will. A brother prayed well one day, saying, "Lord, we ask for bread; and we think You will give us a stone. We ask for a fish; and we think You will give us a serpent. We ask for an egg; and we think You will give us a scorpion. But, Lord, when we pray for a stone, what You give is always bread" (see Luke 11.11-12). Often we do not understand God's love and His will. We do not know that His thoughts towards us are peaceful and good—exceedingly good—and not evil (see Jer. 29.10-11). How frequently we murmur for the moment; but probably two years later we will praise Him. Why not praise Him now?
God's will is not only good but also perfect. What He has prepared for those who love Him is nothing but what is most profitable. In possession of such knowledge, you will be pleased with His will. You will present your body which is holy and acceptable to God. You will accept His will because you are confident that His will is good and perfect.
May you perform this last act, saying to God from your heart: "O God, I am wholly Yours. Hereafter, I will not live for myself."
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By performing this last act, you have now fulfilled all the conditions for victory. Consecration is the first as well as the last facet in this life that wins. Believe that God has accepted your consecration. Once done, it is done. Regardless whether your feeling be cold or hot, as long as you have consecrated with your heart, all is well. I say this to dissuade you one last time from looking at feeling. Henceforth you are the Lord's, and you can only be used by Him.