Adventures in the Land of CanaanBerry, R. L. (Robert Lee)
Religion
Adventures in the Land of Canaan
Berry, R. L. (Robert Lee)
Christian life
Surrender of the will is a part of the consecration. There can be no
inner soul-rest so long as our wills pull us one way and God's will pulls
us another. When Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden light He
meant it is easy if we pull with Him, not against Him. How can two walk
together except they be agreed? Then lay your will down; or, rather,
actively, enthusiastically, delightedly will that God's will be done in
and with you.
"Lay all on the altar" is a favorite expression with many teachers of
full salvation and the victorious life. The figure comes from the
sacrifices made under Moses' law. Every Israelite had to offer sacrifices.
The main thing about the sacrifice was, whether sheep, goat, lamb, dove,
or something else, it had to be a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. God
would not accept any lame, maimed, blemished, or otherwise marred
sacrifice. It had to be the best of its kind. After it was brought to
the priest and dedicated to the Lord, it was laid on the altar and
consumed. It was the Lord's. The one offering it had no more to say about
it whatever.
Then on God's altar you should lay all--time, talents, earthly goods,
soul, body, and will. Once when Abraham had made a sacrifice, birds came
to steal it. Abraham was careful to drive away the birds. A beautiful
figure is found in Abraham's action. We might say that after you have
laid all on God's altar you may need to guard the offering; for the birds
of self-will, pride, unbelief, and evil desire may carry off your
sacrifice.
"Die" is a favorite expression with other teachers of perfect holiness--
die to self; die out to God; die to all but Jesus. The figure is full
of vital meaning. Mrs. Cleaveland, in her delightful poem on the river
of death, pictures the clergymen of various denominations as losing all
their distinguishing marks as they cross the river, and over on the other
shore not one can be told from another so far as sectarian peculiarities
are concerned. This is even true of entire consecration, or crossing the
Jordan into Canaan; for in Canaan there is a delightful absence of
sectarian conflict; every one is too busy doing the will of God.
Dying is used to express consecration because some felt that the
consecration was so acute that it seemed they had to suffer the pains
of death. Others have not so felt. Whatever the feeling, there must be
the dying.
Two women, one a widow and the other her daughter, lived together. They
were both devout. The younger woman became sick, and grew worse and
worse. At last all hope of life was gone, and mother and daughter began
praying that the dying girl might have "dying grace."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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