GIVING YOURSELF TO THE LORD

When you constantly or completely give up your own will and subject your thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will of God, you give yourself to the Lord. Your walk with God begins to make sense and yield results when you give yourself fully to God's will and His purpose for your life; and then to the leaders, who are His appointed agents, assigned over you to function under their covering - by the will of God.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 8:5 New International Version (NIV)

'And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.'

Paul was testifying about the churches in Macedonia, commending them for their generous act of faithfulness which they demonstrated in so many ways. Then he specifically mentioned that they gave themselves to the Lord. To give yourself to the Lord means to willfully accept and yield to the dominating force and influence of God's will. It is only by giving ourselves to God first, that everything we do for God will turn to our advantage.

The Macedonian Christians held nothing back from God. They knew that all they were and had was from Him; thus they devoted themselves to His service and glory without reservation. Even when we are useful to others by our good works, we must first empty ourselves to allow Christ to been seen through the good works.

Whatever we use or lay out for God and His service will be tried and tested to reveal its quality, our heart, and also, the yielding of the totality of ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 3:13 HCSB). Therefore, it's always in our best interest to examine ourselves and be yielded to God's Spirit, while rendering our services to God. Romans 12:1 (ESV) reads, 'I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.' In other words, give all of yourself to God.

To give ourselves to the Lord is to acknowledge that our lives and everything we own actually belong to Him. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, and we are simply called to take care of what God has given us, as stewards of His blessings. By giving ourselves to Him, we surrender all to God and admit that He is ultimately in control of every activity going on in our lives, in any circumstance.

Yielding ourselves helps us to let go of whatever has been holding us back from God's best for our lives. It is yielding to the Holy Spirit and developing your sensitivity to His promptings, so as to access the best from God. It's an act of resting, leaning, and relying on Him, venturing on Him, committing all into His hands, and trusting Him with all and in all.

Scripture Reading - Job 11:13-15; Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23.

Exuberant Declaration:

I give myself completely to God by submitting to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and I consciously acknowledge His presence in my life on a daily basis, making my services to God acceptable and effectual. Hence, I receive divine guidance and take the right steps at all times. I see and handle life from God's perspective and I function at His bidding, by presenting myself as a living sacrifice, pleasing to Him. My yielding brings about the manifestation of God's power and divine results to my services and my promotion is littered on the corridor of the will of God for my life, as I continually submit to Him. Blessed be God!