In a similar vein to yesterday’s quote & post regarding The Deeper & Thicker Life in Christ, today’s quote is from another author who expresses the same concern regarding our clinging to the things of this world instead of our clinging to the One who created this world and everything in it:
There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in life. Because it is so natural, it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is. But its outworkings are tragic.
We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety. This is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed.
–A. W. Tozer
This quote reminds us of our difficulty of turning things over to God for His full and complete use. It is hard for us to be like Mary in the Bible, who poured out a gift to God that was worth a whole year’s salary. It is hard to sacrificially give our money for His use, when we want to use it for ourselves. It is hard to freely use our time and talents to build His kingdom, when we are so focused on building up our little kingdoms. And, as Tozer says, it is extremely hard to let our loved ones die, even if we know that they have a relationship with Christ. We don’t want to let them go. And yet, if we truly believe God and His Word, then we know that He will hold them safe for us. For those of us who struggle with our belief, we need to offer up the prayer of the man who asked Jesus to heal his son. He said, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
And Jesus said to him, ” ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Father God, I do believe that everything is safe which I commit to You, and nothing is really safe if it not so committed. However, I also have moments of struggling with unbelief. So my prayer is the prayer of this boy’s father from 2000 years ago: I do believe, but often I do not believe enough. Help my unbelief. Help me overcome any and all doubts regarding Who You Are And What You Have the Power To Do.