“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” (Titus 1:15-16 NLT)
Our tendency can be to see everyone who walks away from the Lord as being in the category of those referred to above as: “Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” In our pious saintliness we can write off everyone who doesn’t fit our “Christian mold” as not being “saved” in the first place. But in my more than 60 years of walking with the Lord I’ve seen too many good, and yes, godly people, experience such heart wrenching tragedies and life circumstances that they lose their will to walk with God.
And, of course, that’s another discussion. But suffice it to say I’ve seen people who have made a genuine commitment to Christ, be baptized, and walk faithfully for years, then turn away. But why? God alone knows, but I believe the Lord gave me an insight that makes sense to me. I believe it’s an issue of our will.
I believe there came a point in each of the original Disciples lives and that must come in each of our lives when what God wants of and from them and us becomes more important and a higher priority than what we want for ourselves. There must come a shift in our heart, mind, and soul when our life means nothing to us without knowing, loving and serving Jesus.
In other words, there must come a point where we sacrifice our will on the altar of our love for Jesus and accept His will as our own. On some levels it’s like ending the “courtship” and committing everything on the altar of “Marriage to Christ.” How that translates for me is this: until our will becomes one with the Lord’s we have the capacity to walk away, but once our will and God’s become one, there’s no turning back.
It’s like when Hernán Cortés ordered his men to burn their ships so no one would be tempted to turn back. There needs to come a point in our walk with the Lord Jesus when we “burn our ships,” when something in our spirit determines we’re not turning back no matter what! It’s like Peter in John 6 when the Bible says: “At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.’”
There must come a point in our lives where “We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” Too many, me included, began our journeys without having a clue as to what it would cost us. When we start, we want to believe we’ll go the distance, that we won’t back down or bail out. But when reality happens and life gets hard: when a child dies, a spouse leaves, the diagnosis is terminal, we fail irreparably, or any number of other scenarios, some wash out, but some don’t. But why?
What makes the difference? Are you “married” or just “dating” Jesus? Do you not only have all of the Lord, but the Lord has all of you? Are you still hanging on to your will or have you let it be “wed” with the Lord’s? The bottom line for me is simple: Who owns your will owns your heart? When you have no will but His you’ll never walk away, your heart will be cemented to the Savior.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 