Proposal
Imagine a man proposing to his sweetheart.
He says “Honey, I love you and I want us to be married. I promise to take good care of you. I’ll provide for you. You will have the best of everything. I’ll be a good father to our children and give them the best education. All I ask is that you will allow me one day a month to spend with another woman.”
Would a woman accept that offer?
Is that what she would expect of his commitment in marriage?
Or would she expect a complete commitment?
I think we would be very quick to criticise a man who made that sort of commitment – but are we guilty of the same in our commitment to God?
What did Jesus say?
He said that if I would be His disciple, I must “take up my cross”.
What did He mean?
It would have been very clear to anyone who heard His statement.
Everyone knew that anyone who took up a cross was as good as dead.
He was on the way to be crucified, with no possible outcome except death.
Jesus was clearly saying, as Paul also said later,
that we are to count ourselves – our own desires, our own will, as DEAD.
We are no longer our own, but we belong, completely, to God.
Word from Mr Anon:
# God does not want a 90% commitment or even a 99% commitment.
He wants – and is entitled to – a 100% commitment.
# ANYTHING that takes God’s place is OUT of place
# To withhold ONE thing from God is THEFT – for everything is His.
# One live coal can set a whole stack on fire.
The Lord is King! I own His power,
His right to rule each day and hour.
I own His claim on heart and will
And His demands I will fulfill.
MEETING IN THE CLOUDS 
Great post! Thank you for sharing.
May God bless you in your service to Him.
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Thank you for visiting.
God does bless – as He has promised, and as He will continue. We serve an amazing God!
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And on another level Jesus asks us men to love our wives as Christ loved His church and gave Himself for it….don’t let anyone tell you that God lowers His standards to meet our deficiencies…if we but confess our failings and our complete dependence upon Him He will lift us up to meet His standards…both to love Him and others, esp. our spouse(s).
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I agree, brakelite, God NEVER lowers His standards. In today’s world, one of the greatest witnesses to the love of God and the REALITY of a relationship with Him SHOULD be the way husbands and wives love each other. Sadly, it is something seldom seem.
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As I read this post, I thought on an old song we sang when I was a youngster. Some of the lyrics are, “Help me Jesus to make 100, 99 and 1/2 won’t do.” How true this is! A little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump! I want to be TOTALLY committed to the Lord. It is a mandate from Him. Jesus gave His ALL at Calvary. Why should He require any less of us?
God bless,
Paulette
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Total commitment . . . yes, it is our aim while here on earth and we have seen the enormous benefits in little snatches at a time, but our human nature soon butts in again. Oh how I look forward to the time when we will serve Him with ALL our beings, with no distractions but with total dedication!
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Excellent post. The title really caught my eye and drew me into your thought provoking post.
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Welcome admin. I hope to see you around.
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“Everyone knew that anyone who took up a cross was as good as dead.” That one really stopped me in my tracks. Thank you, Angela. Praying that I commit my all to my All in All.
God bless you as you do too!
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I think “take up your cross” is one of the most misquoted Scriptures, but can there be any other meaning but death – death to self, death to self desires and self will?
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