January 1, 2010 LET US KEEP TO THE POINT

Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

The New Year brings about new commitments from every kind and creed. We all want to do something to improve ourselves, it seems, regardless of our spiritual persuasion, and the commencement of a new year provides that blank canvas upon which to paint our “New and Improved” selves. As we contemplate the coming months we envision ourselves thinner, healthier, kinder, better in some way than we were the year before. And the New Year allows us to sweep past failed resolutions away and begin afresh.

Having just celebrated the birth of our Savior, it seems only natural that one of my personal commitments this year is to truly live My Utmost for His Highest. For me, this means surrendering my will to his. Dedicating myself daily to my quest for holiness. Seeking FIRST the kingdom of God. And finally, through prayer, to have sufficient courage so that Christ will be exalted in my body, by life or death. To give such a commitment lip-service requires little. Many of us commit to being “better people” for the sake of our personal peace of mind. But God doesn’t need us to be better people; he needs us to be HIS people.
In Chambers devotional today, he explains:

When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only – My Utmost for His Highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

When we consider what Christians in some countries go through for the sake of their faith (persecution, torture, even death) my reasons for my hesitancy seem embarrassingly insignificant. I don’t want to surrender to Christ because… why? Because I might be embarrassed? Because someone might think me a bit odd? Because someone might not like me? The reality is that my hesitancy has been linked to all of those things, but the truth is that God is bigger than all of that. How can I deny the call of a loving God who sent His only Son to die an excruciating death on the cross for ME, because of MY sin? I simply cannot. God’s love for me transcends all things and how can I deny Him any part of who I am? Faced with the reality of the cross and what was done for me there, I am left on my knees before Christ determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

My favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision. The words seem particularly appropriate in light of today’s devotional. These verses are my daily prayers for 2010:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all