Yielded – surrendered – abandoned to God regardless of the consequences.
Jesus is the corn of wheat (John 12:24) and He was planted in death. He arose from the dead to be the FLOUR (2 Kings 4:41) which defeated and overcame death. The risen Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-56) conquered death (John 11:25), ripped out its stinger and swallowed up death in victorious LIFE. He will destroy (1 Corinthians 15:26) the last enemy and (Isaiah 25:8) abolish death forever. He and He alone (John 11:25) only Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Only Jesus can make dead men live. It is He (Colossians 3:4) Who is our Life. Pause – reflect – wonder – worship.
Why did Jesus say (Matthew 10:37) he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me? Because undisciplined parental love can cloud and distort sound judgment. Eli fell into this trap and (1 Samuel 2:29) honoured his sons above the Lord. Of course, this is a warning for all of us concerning all those we love. Take a look at the shocking behaviour of Eli’s sons. They were priests because of their relationship to Eli, the high priest, but they had no relationship with God. When the people brought offerings (1 Samuel 2:16-17) they forcibly took the fat and the choice parts, which were to be dedicated to the Lord. They raped the women (1 Samuel 2:22) who worked in the temple. The people were very concerned and (1 Samuel 2:23-24) reported these things to Eli.
Eli’s rebuke was like a gentle tap on the shoulder and he joined his wicked sons in making themselves fat (1 Samuel 4:18) by eating and profaning God’s holy offerings. Instead of conforming themselves as priests to their holy office, Hophni and Phinehas were fools and conformed the priestly office to indulge their sinful lusts. Eli was too busy. He took on too much. He was both high priest and judge for 40 years.
Samuel had godly parents who prayed for him and he was protected from being tainted by the toxic environment of Eli’s corrupt household and from having any part in the evil doings. Someone has described Samuel as a beautiful rose blooming alongside a swamp or a cess-pool. What about us? Do we selfishly abuse God’s blessings and conform them to our fleshly indulgences? Oswald Chambers) “We have the message and we are to be the message”. As witnesses we can tell others about God’s grace and salvation but our lives must convey the same message, confirm it, not contradict it. Everything about me should tell the truth about Jesus, just as everything about Jesus told the truth about God the Father.
We know that God’s purpose for us (Romans 8:28-29) is that we will be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. How could He love us so much that He wants to make us like His very own, only Son? The dictionary says that conform means to be in harmony with. Are we so in tune with God that we are becoming an exact replica of Jesus, Who is the Divine Pattern. Of course, this is the process of sanctification but we should have continually deeper intimacy with Jesus and a growing, greater likeness to Him. (Oswald Chambers) “We should be so identified with Jesus that there is no distinction”.
We should have no complaints and no questions because we know that God is always in control and we have no reason to question Him. Jesus said (John 16:23) in that day you will ask me no questions. What day? The day, the time when we are so totally yielded – surrendered – abandoned to God regardless of the consequences.
We have (1 Corinthians 2:16) the mind of Christ. His mind holds the thoughts, feelings and purposes of God’s heart. I pursue being conformed to the Divine Image but I want that to include my mind being conformed to the mind of Christ. Let this mind (Philippians 2:5) be in you. Does LET mean my choice to take (2 Corinthians 10:5) every thought captive to obey the Lord?
An undisciplined mind is Satan’s playground. We cannot keep our thought life holy and our fellowship with the Lord deepening if we do not regularly spend time in God’s Word because from beginning to end the Bible is the revelation of Jesus. We can’t let the Word of Christ (Colossians 3:16) dwell in us richly if we neglect it and seldom or never read it and meditate on it, letting it fill our hearts and minds and direct our focus. Don’t read the Bible just for information but let it fill your heart and mind and find joy in obeying it. God’s Word is given to us to be (Psalms 119:111) the rejoicing of our hearts in the (Psalms 19:7-11) many rich benefits.
We are required (1 Corinthians 4:2) as stewards to be found faithfully proving ourselves to be trustees who can be trusted. We own nothing. We are only stewards and are responsible for how we manage and take care of all that the Lord has entrusted to us. We will be held accountable for the way in which we spend the Master’s resources for care of our mind, time, health, food, possessions, relationships and whatever else we can control. Do I exploit God’s resources for selfish indulgence of my own desires or do I spend them wisely for the glory of the Lord? In every area of my life my stewardship can honour or dishonour God. The only way I can handle this responsibility is by complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.
As we are in the physical image of Adam the man of dust (1 Corinthians 15:49) let us also be in the image of the MAN of heaven. If the mind of Christ controls our thoughts, desires, attitudes and imaginations, our motives will be pure and the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart (Psalms 19:14) will be acceptable in the sight of the Lord, because they have their Source in Him.
Are we following the right path (John 10:4) to be conformed to the Divine Image? In all the clamour of this fallen world, do we listen for and recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd? Passivity is an enemy. So let us determine never to be willy-nilly but to be steadfast in faith (1 Corinthians 15:58) always abounding in the work of the Lord.