“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isa. 1:19).
“It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5).
Unsurrendered Christians are the unhappiest Christians on earth. And they are only on earth—there are none in Heaven. But why should we cheat ourselves of the happiness that God wants us to have? Full surrender to the unconditional mastery of our Lord Jesus Christ means a fully satisfied life. My way means misery; His way means happiness; why should it take us long to decide? A Christian woman whose messages in verse have enriched these pages wrote to The Sunday School Times several years ago: “The little editorial paragraphs on the first page flash with the Sword of the Spirit, so that when I was cherishing in the secret nook of my heart something that God would have me surrender, I could not bear to read those passages. But now that I, always a poor tenant, have moved out, and He has come in, and every room and cupboard and hidden drawer are His alone, these words are like Jacob’s present to Joseph, balm and honey, spices and myrrh. Thank you.” Any call to do God’s will is unpleasant reading when we are refusing to do God’s will. And it is the most blessed, precious call on earth when we have given in to Him and His will is our will. Shall we settle it now?—Sunday School Times.
The secret of an unsatisfied life too often is an unsurrendered will.—Hudson Taylor.
Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!
Seeking all His fullness at whatever cost;
Cutting all the shorelines, launching in the deep
Of His mighty power—strong to save and keep.
Utterly abandoned to the Holy Ghost!
Oh! the sinking, sinking, until self is lost!
Until the empty vessel lies broken at His feet;
Waiting till His filling shall make the work complete. . . .
Utterly abandoned! ’tis so sweet to be
Captive in His bonds of love, yet so wondrous free;
Free from sin’s entanglements, free from doubt and fear,
Free from every worry, burden, grief or care. . . .
Lo! He comes and fills me, Holy Spirit sweet!
I in Him am satisfied; I in Him complete!
And the light within my soul shall never more grow dim
While I keep my covenant—abandoned unto Him!
—Unknown.