March 8th — THE RELINQUISHED LIFE
March 8th.THE RELINQUISHED LIFE
"I am crucified with Christ." Galatians 2:20
No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is wil ing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the Spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of al pretence. What Our Lord wants us to present to Him is not goodness, nor honesty, nor endeavour, but real solid sin; that is al He can take from us. And what does He give in exchange for our sin?
Real solid righteousness. But we must relinquish al pretence of being any thing, al claim of being worthy of God's consideration.
Then the Spirit of God wil show us what further there is to relinquish. There wil have to be the relinquishing of my claim to my right to myself in every phase. Am I wil ing to relinquish my hold on al I possess, my hold on my affections, and on everything, and to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?
There is always a sharp painful disil usionment to go through before we do relinquish. When a man real y sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ. When he sees himself in the light of the Lord, the shame and the horror and the desperate conviction come home.
If you are up against the question of relinquishing, go through the crisis, relinquish al , and God wil make you fit for al that He requires of you.