WE COME TO another stage of His abiding in us and our abiding in Him: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). This is an amazing promise: “ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” This seems like unlimited request—“whatever” will be followed by unlimited answer—“it shall be done for you.” There are two important provisions, however: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you”—abide in Him, general surrender and obedience—“and my words abide in you”—specific surrender and obedience. There is a blanket and general surrender and obedience to Him, and then there is a specific surrender and obedience. Both must be cultivated.
In marriage there is a general surrender in the moment of marriage. Each belongs to the other, both belong to both. It is a giving which covers everything. If it is just left general, however, and does not work out in the daily specific, then the general becomes sentimentality—the word of marriage become word instead of becoming flesh in little daily outer manifestations of tokens of love.
“My words abide in you”—this tells of a continuous study of these words and their application to daily and hourly obedience to them. A friend who has been brought up spiritually on “absolute honesty, absolute purity, absolute love, and absolute unselfishness” insists that there can be no blanket surrender, once and for all, but only specific surrender and specific obedience in the daily questions and issues that arise. There is a real truth in his insistence—obedience must be specific or it is not obedience at all—but it is only a half-truth, for if obedience is only in specific things it lacks that general once-and-for-all surrender and obedience.
O Jesus, I belong to Thee wholly and forever. That is settled, and settled forever. Teach me to manifest specifically in every moment, in every attitude, in every day, and in every way my specific love and loyalty to Thee. Thus dedication and deed will be one. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Generally and specifically I am His, and all that pertains to me is His.
