“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NLT)
When we abandon something, as a rule, it means leaving it absolutely alone and empty. That’s what an abandoned heart looks like, except it’s emptied of everything that’s unlike Jesus and completely filled with the Holy Spirit. A heart abandoned to the Lord seeks nothing but intimacy with Him and completeness in the carrying out of His eternal purposes.
Obviously, no human being except Jesus has ever fully realized the dynamics of that desire, but it should be our heart’s desire to seek the Lord with every fiber of our being. And why wouldn’t we? What of earthly value should hold a stronger grip on our heart? Why would we desire anything that isn’t in line with the Father’s desires for us? If it doesn’t honor and glorify Jesus, why would we seek or want it?
John Eldredge speaks to this when he writes: “Worship is the act of the abandoned heart adoring its God.” We worship what we value; we value what we deem essential to our life and living; we give our allegiance to what owns us. So, the question becomes, “What owns ME?” As a rule we only think of that which we own, but the reality is, what we give our time, effort, and money to, too often owns us.
It may be a person, organization, or material possession or possessions, but what occupies our time and that on which we spend our money can easily own us. Ask yourself: “What can I live without?” Or perhaps a better way to think of it: “What can I NOT live without?” Obviously, we need air, food, water, to survive physically, but we also need companionship, interaction with others, love, friendship, shelter, transportation, and many other “luxuries” to live meaningfully.
When you read the question above, did you first think of the Lord as that which you could not survive without? Perhaps because I’m writing this and know where my thoughts are headed, Jesus was first to come to my mind. He’s the air I breathe, the desire of my heart. I literally cannot imagine life without Him. The song Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin came to mind. The first verse says: “A thousand generations falling down in worship To sing the song of ages to the Lamb. And all who’ve gone before us and all who will believe Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb, Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all; All thrones and dominions All powers and positions Your name stands above them all, And the angels cry holy, All creation cries holy, You are lifted high, holy, Holy forever”
May I be honest? If your heart isn’t abandoned to the Lord, what are you waiting for? There’s nothing of earthly value that can compare with knowing, loving, serving, and sacrificing for King Jesus. Please, if you don’t know Him and love Him supremely, please tap ANewStory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a brief illustration that will help you understand why it’s so vitally important to give your life to the Lord Jesus while there’s time.
Because of Jesus we have the opportunity not simply to live our life, but to invest our life in something that will never die or never end. Eternal life is real and begins the moment we yield our life and allegiance to the Lord. He gives us courage and confidence to live boldly, knowing we’re not simply biding our time on this earth, but investing our lives for His eternal purposes. But how do we invest ourselves in His eternal purposes? We share His life and love with anyone who will listen and let them know they have the same opportunity He’s given us, to invest their lives in eternity by giving their lives and allegiance to Him. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
