Friday, November 27, 2009

"Portents of Fear Or Prospects of Grace?"

"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about... The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe" (Psalm 3:6; Proverbs 29:25).

David seemingly had much to fear from men as Saul and his minions continually sought to kill him. He determined, however, to not be afraid because he realized that allowing fear to rule his heart would be a far more destructive trap than anything his earthly enemies could devise.

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3). David understood that fear is countered by faith because fear is the very opposite of faith. When being afraid controls our inner sensibilities, words, actions, and reactions, we are disbelieving the constant Biblical refrain of security promised to the trusting sons and daughters of God in Christ.
"Safety is of the Lord" (Proverbs 21:31).

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Psalm 46:1-2).

"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God" (Psalm 62:7).

" And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

"We have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).

We will be frequently tempted to fear, of course, and it is not sin to feel initial feelings of insecurity when challenging things happen to us, or prospects of such things present themselves to us. We must understand, however, that our internal response to difficult circumstances, situations, conditions, and subsequent feelings of trepidation is a far greater issue than whatever the difficulties may involve outwardly. The presence and peace of God is available to us as "a very present help... though the earth be removed." In other words, even if the world itself were snatched from beneath our feet, there would be no justifiable reason for fear because the security of our hearts is based on one thing and one thing only, namely, the presence of God, the "very" presence of God. Our calling is to trust Him, and to "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Uncertain times open a door wherein we may enter more deeply into the heart of the Father who has promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Just outside the entrance of that door, however, will not only be such prospects of grace, but also troubling portents and even present realities of fearful things. The choice is ours. We will either join David, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Or we will not, "What time I am afraid, I will not trust in Thee." The challenge and the opportunity await us, and let us remember the blessed truth that graces every page, chapter, verse, word, and letter of the Word of God: no one has ever trusted in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and been disappointed for doing so. And no one ever will.

"God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
(II Timothy 1:7)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

"Deep In the Marrow"

Having written and sent out a devotional every weekday for the last 11 years has made the last two weeks a very interesting time. The messages have been prevented by Spam filters from reaching your computers since we purchased a new laptop, which runs Windows 7. Our mailing list is completely voluntary, of course, and only once over the years have we ever sent a devotional to someone without a request from either the recipient, or friends of the recipient (interestingly, the one person to whom we sent the devotional without request became one of my dearest friends). The filters don't know this, of course, and have been treating the Orange Moon messages as Spam.

Frances (a.k.a. "The Frances Brain"), after much time, diligence, and hard work, appears to have found the problem, and we think we're back up and running. I hope so, because I have been completely out of sorts the last few weeks. I really don't know how beneficial the messages are to those who read them, but I have realized in the last few weeks that writing them is one of the most important things in my life. I've often said that I write them to myself, and then let anyone who would like to read them look over my shoulder, as it were. When we realized that the devotionals weren't reaching you, I stopped writing them, and in spiritual terms, a big part of me stopped breathing.

Even more importantly, I felt that I lost a connection with a lot of people who mean more to me than words can say. You. Of course, I don't think for a minute that folks read every message we send out, and there may just be a few every now and then that you consider and in which you hopefully find a bit of benefit. But for me, there is something about writing and sending out the Orange Moon devotionals that causes me to feel the spiritual connection and kinship we have in the Lord Jesus. Again, I have no words for it. But it's very real, and tangible to the degree that I can feel it deep in the marrow of my bones.

In this week in which those of us in the United States commemorate a holiday called Thanksgiving, I have realized more than ever how grateful I am for all of you. Well, no I haven't really. Because I don't think I can measure the depth of such feeling and awareness for the gift God has given to me in your friendship and fellowship. So, with all my heart, I thank God for you. And I thank you.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (II Corinthians 13:14).

From His Victory,
Glen
Psalm 27:4

Monday, November 23, 2009

"Known of God"

    "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:9).

We often think of salvation in terms of whether one knows the Lord. A more God-centered approach, as defined by the Apostle Paul, is does God know us? Almost as importantly, how can we know that God knows us?

The answer lies in the context of Paul's epistle to the Galatians, in which he emphasizes the Lord's regard for us. The letter was writing to born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who had "begun in the Spirit" (Galatians 3:3). The Galatians had trusted solely in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, believing that "not of works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Paul emphasizes this blessed truth of the freest gift ever given, and the necessity of our ongoing determination to "trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The Galatians, those known by God because of their faith in His grace, were being tempted to place themselves under regulations and restrictions of the law. The "Judaizers," however, taught that particular works were required for salvation and its maintenance. They were jealous of Paul, and sought to discredit the Apostle's message by the humanistic logic that redemption must involve at least some human effort and determination. They followed in the line of Cain, whose offering to God involved the labors of his own hands producing an offering from a cursed ground that required much diligence to produce fruit. The Lord had no regard to Cain's offering, but rather accepted Abel's presenting of the sacrifice of another as the basis of his approach to God. "Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect" (Galatians 4:3-5). In the same manner, Paul challenges the Galatians to remember the grace that originated their relationship with God, and the grace that alone can maintain it.

God knows those who come in the way He has provided for us to know Him. The hymnwriter beautifully proclaimed such Gospel truth: "Nothing in my hand I bring; only to Thy cross I cling." Thus, we can know that He knows us if our own regard is completely directed to the Lord Jesus who is to be "preeminent" in all things (Colossians 1:18). Is He believed to be the beginning, continuing, and culmination of our redemption? If so, we are "accepted in the Beloved," "known of God," and the "beloved of the Lord" (Ephesians 1:6; Galatians 4:9; II Thessalonians 2:13).

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever."
(Romans 11:36)

"Salvation is of the Lord."
(Jonah 2:9)

Friday, November 20, 2009

"Sweet Is Thy Voice"

"Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice... He shall hear my voice" (Song of Solomon 2:14; Psalm 55:17).

There are voices we love to hear, voices whose simple utterance warm our hearts with happiness, comfort, assurance, communion, and love.

There are voices God loves to hear, voices whose simple utterance warm His heart with the joy of His Son as the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ graces the prayers of sons and daughters adopted into His heavenly family. Such voices are yours and mine, if we have believed. "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).

This is a hard truth to understand and assimilate into our consciousness. We cannot physically see God's response to our words. Even more, we may have a sense that we have too often brought displeasure to Him by our failures, and by the too frequent neglect of prayer that many believers perceive as their greatest spiritual weakness. "Perhaps my voice was sweet to Him long ago," we may sadly mourn. "But not anymore."

Knowing the gracious heart of our Heavenly Father, as revealed in Scripture, it may well be that some of the utterances most precious to Him are those offered from souls most aware of their unworthiness to voice even a word toward Heaven. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psalm 34:18). "He delighteth in mercy" declared the prophet, and if we could physically see the response of God to our prayers in times of both faithfulness and waywardness, great joy would likely be witnessed in both (Micah 7:18). "I will arise and go unto my father, and will say unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him" (Luke 15:18-20).

We often rightly consider the blessed effects of prayer in our own hearts. Less often, however, do we consider the blessed effects of prayer in God's heart. We do well to do so because His heart has known much pain, sorrow, and grief from the human race. If our voice brings sweetness to such a heart, then let us do so! Who can understand such a thing, that creatures such as ourselves possess the capacity to bless One so beyond who and what we are? It is beyond understanding, but it is not beyond faith, and it is not beyond the love of Christ directed to us, and dwelling in us (Romans 5:5). Indeed, those voices sweet to us sound forth from hearts whom we love. It is no different with God.

"The prayer of the upright is His delight."
(Proverbs 15:8)

(We have currently been having email difficulties with The Special of the Day. . .From the Orange Moon Cafe. If you receive the devotional by email, we are working on the issue and hope to restore the daily service to you soon.)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

"The Song of His Heart"

Some songs are sung for God's glory. Some are sung to deny and defy His glory. And many are sung with no regard to Him at all.

"Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises" (Psalm 47:6).

Of the innumerable things in creation that resound with the glory of its Creator, none more vividly proclaim His handiwork than the existence of music. I cannot fathom anyone who truly appreciates melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, lyric, and the beauty they together express believing that music is the product of mindless evolution and the human brain.

Imagine a world without music. It would be like a world without color, flavor, fragrance, and touch. God could have formed such an existence for the human race created in His image. But then again, perhaps He could not have. Music is clearly an expression of some eternal beauty within our Maker's heart that had to come forth in the humanity created to most vividly reveal who He is. When we hear music, even if the singers and players deny or ignore the Giver of such a gift (and even if they distort the beauty of the gift), we are knowing God in a sublime way that sings to us of eternally ancient glories in the triune being of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Christ sang during His earthly life (Matthew 26:30). When the Holy Spirit fills and controls our being, music expressed to God is the result (Ephesians 5:18-19). And the prophet foretells of our Father rejoicing over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). Music is thus divine, both in its expression and its origin. Melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, lyric and their beauty come straight from the heart and mind of God. Every note we will ever hear tells of such wonder, from the devoted saint who sings to express love to his Father, or the unbeliever who enjoys the gift without worshipping the Creator. Again, I know of nothing in creation that more plainly declares that God is. Nor do I know anything that more declares that He is a being of such wonder that even a long eternity will not be adequate to hear the song of His heart singing forth His ineffable beauty.

"Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. "
(Psalm 150:1-6)

Monday, November 9, 2009

Forgiven. Chastened.

How forgiven are born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul, quoting David, provides perhaps the most definitive answer in his epistle to the Romans.

"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Psalm 32:2; Romans 4:8).

Justification in the Lord Jesus Christ is so complete that our Heavenly Father will not place our sins on our account. They were placed on the account of our pristinely innocent Savior when He died on the cross of Calvary, and God is so satisfied with His Son's atoning work that in terms of our righteousness, He forevermore views the sin issue has having been more than adequately dealt with. "By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).

Born again believers are still capable of sin, however, and it is still possible that we can experience the negative consequences of unbelief and disobedience. It was to and of Christians that Paul wrote, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). In our present life, God's Fatherhood necessarily involves not only kindly tenderness, but also firm correction when necessary. Indeed, it is because we are so righteous in His sight that He must chasten us if we become callously indifferent to the godliness that has become the very nature of our redeemed being. "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" (Hebrews 12:5-7). God views sin as an aberration in His trusting children, again, because the Lord Jesus so effectually dealt with the issue in His atoning work and resurrection. He is well aware that in a world of flesh and devils, we are still susceptible to acting fleshly and devilish. But nothing changes the fact of our standing with Him, and the amazing truth that in the sense of our relationship with Him, we are "perfected forever," and "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).

God will not place our sins on our account. This is love. But He will put the board on our backside, as it were. This is also love. We need both truths to be true, and praise His wonderful name, both truths are true. Let us rejoice that our Father loves us so much that our sins were born by the Lamb of God on the tree. And let us rejoice that if we foolishly forget who and what we are as God's justified children, He loves us enough to firmly remind us through the pain of discipline. He is worthy of much praise for both blessed realities, and we do well to see both as the product of His heart's gracious and merciful devotion to us.

"When we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."
(I Corinthians 11:32)

Friday, November 6, 2009

"Wishing They Could Get Up"

I once heard it said that there are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ whom Satan hates to see get out of bed in the mornings because of the harm they do to his nefarious purposes.
I am sure there is truth in this, but I wonder if there are those whom our enemy wishes would get out of their beds.

"The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness" (Psalm 41:3).

Prayers offered from the strong and active spirits of those whose physical bodies have been stilled are a mighty weapon of the Holy Spirit. When a suffering saint refuses to succumb to despair, but "rises up" on his bed to call upon God's involvement in the world, our Lord doubtless reveals Himself in ways that will only be known in Heaven. "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (I Corinthians 1:27).

Those of us who can move about can be sure that we are the beneficiaries of the prayers of brothers and sisters who cannot. More importantly, our ministries to others are doubtless fueled by prayers offered from those whose are not able to be on the front lines of spiritual conflict. Actually, the trenches of prayer may well be the front lines of spiritual conflict, and perhaps those of us who openly move about are actually advancing on fields of battle whereupon victory has already been won by some saint who has shredded our spiritual enemies from the sickbed. Yes, our foe may well wish that such ones would be enabled by God to get out of their "bed of languishing" that has become a high and strategic vantage point from which great devastation is wrought upon Satan in the power of Christ.

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
(II Corinthians 12:10)

"Wishing They Could Get Up"

I once heard it said that there are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ whom Satan hates to see get out of bed in the mornings because of the harm they do to his nefarious purposes.
I am sure there is truth in this, but I wonder if there are those whom our enemy wishes would get out of their beds.

"The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness" (Psalm 41:3).

Prayers offered from the strong and active spirits of those whose physical bodies have been stilled are a mighty weapon of the Holy Spirit. When a suffering saint refuses to succumb to despair, but "rises up" on his bed to call upon God's involvement in the world, our Lord doubtless reveals Himself in ways that will only be known in Heaven. "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (I Corinthians 1:27).

Those of us who can move about can be sure that we are the beneficiaries of the prayers of brothers and sisters who cannot. More importantly, our ministries to others are doubtless fueled by prayers offered from those whose are not able to be on the front lines of spiritual conflict. Actually, the trenches of prayer may well be the front lines of spiritual conflict, and perhaps those of us who openly move about are actually advancing on fields of battle whereupon victory has already been won by some saint who has shredded our spiritual enemies from the sickbed. Yes, our foe may well wish that such ones would be enabled by God to get out of their "bed of languishing" that has become a high and strategic vantage point from which great devastation is wrought upon Satan in the power of Christ.

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
(II Corinthians 12:10)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

"Very Present"

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psalm 46:1-2)

Believers hold as a matter of Biblical doctrine the blessed reality of God's omnipresence. He is present any and everywhere, and "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 139:7).
There is nevertheless a place where Scripture declares God to be more present than in other venues. He is "very present" in His children's troubles. We speak not of proximity, of course, but rather of our Heavenly Father's propensity for compassion, mercy, and lovingly taking upon Himself the cares of His children. He draws near to us when we hurt, and as "the God of all comfort," our Lord purposes to apply the balm of grace to the deepest part of our heart, indeed, to that place where only He can go (II Corinthians 1:3).

It doesn't always feel this way, however. The same David who rejoiced in God's "very present help" also cried out to his Lord in distress, "Why standest Thou afar off, Lord? Why hidest Thyself in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1). The Holy Spirit led David to not only proclaim the conviction of his heart, but also the questioning of his flesh. Every honest believer will attest to the same dichotomy of trusting but also wondering when pain, loss, sorrow, and heartbreak comes our way. "Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). We are not yet perfected, and feelings of doubt will often accompany a heart of confident faith. "When I would do good, evil is present with me" (Romans 7:21).

Our present existence involves not the elimination of doubt, but the overcoming of it through the power of the Holy Spirit. When trouble comes, and God seems far away, we may know in our hearts that He is actually more near than at any other time. Doubts may remain nonetheless, and so long as we do not embrace them, we have not fallen into unbelief. "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith" (Mark 11:23). Our Lord reveals that doubt is a matter of the heart rather than the flesh. So long as we are affirming therein our confidence in God's "very present help, our faith is intact and is actually fed by the feelings of doubt that give us the opportunity to declare, "Regardless of what I feel, or what thoughts may be running through my mind, herein I stand: God is present, is very present in this distress, and He is everything and more that I need Him to be."

If we've ever had a sympathetic feeling toward a hurting loved one, we have tasted the emotion of God toward us when we hurt. But only a taste. Indeed, we have no emotional framework capable of accommodating the feeling our Heavenly Father feels in His compassion toward us. Thus, "the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart" (Psalm 34:18). Again, it will not always seem that He is "very present" in trouble. But it will always be true that He is.

"The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion."
(Psalm 111:4)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

"The Weapon of Waiting"

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)

One of the most aggressive things believers do is to wait on God. When He places us in circumstances where actions would be unwise or impossible, and wherein waiting is the only thing we can do, much is taking place that only our Lord can accomplish.

It doesn't feel this way, of course. It feels risky, and it seems that not taking matters into our own hands places us in the position of failure to deal with people and situations that require our involvement. The truth of the matter, however, is that when God stills our hand, He engages His own in ways that He alone can accomplish. Waiting on God therefore calls us to the active role of faith whereby we affirm that He is present and mightily at work in the situation. This is spiritual aggression of the highest order, and also prepares us for the time when we will be called to act.

We are to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Timothy 6:12). This involves both dynamic activity and quiet stillness, as led by the Holy Spirit. Both aspects of our arsenal do great damage to our spiritual enemies as we faithfully walk with God. He is never still in His ongoing working of "all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11). Confident affirmation of this truth places us in our proper position of faith in times of waiting, and ensures that we do not add man made tools, as it were, to the building of altars that only God can construct (Exodus 20:25). It is not an easy way, and our own flesh, as well as our spiritual enemies, will tempt us to walk when we should be standing still. It is a necessary component, however, of fighting the good fight with the weapons that "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (II Corinthians 10:4).

"Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever."
(Exodus 14:13)

Monday, November 2, 2009

"Rollaway"

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5).

The Hebrew root word of "commit" in this passage means to roll something away from one's self. We are thus commanded to roll away, or separate our way from ourselves in the sense that it is not actually our way. "Ye are not your own" (I Corinthians 6:19).

"None of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord" (Romans 14:7-8).

The context of every moment of our lives is God. Of believer and unbeliever alike, the Apostle Paul wrote, "In Him, we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) All that we do is with the "life, breath, and all things" that He provides (Acts 17:25). We either use it well, or we we misuse it, but all is done with our Creator as the center and circumference of all things. Committing our way unto our Lord therefore involves our recognition of reality, and of the truth from which we can never escape.

Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee" (Psalm 139:7-12).

David wrote these words as a believer, and as one who knew not only the universal presence of God, but also His leading and holding. The unbeliever lives also in a creation that is "full of His glory," but he does not know the Lord's direction and keeping (Isaiah 6:3). He rejects such Divine involvement, but again, he does not and cannot avoid the fact that God is the great fact of His existence. Believers also sometimes ignore or turn away from the teeming pervasiveness of our Lord in His creation and in our lives, but nothing changes the truth. The great significance of every circumstance, condition, contingency, and situation is the God who originated and sustains our existence, and to whom all that we do is directed. "We live unto the Lord..."

Our spiritual sensibilities are presently too limited to consciously know more than a modicum of the great fact and the great significance. However, we must embrace it as a matter of vital doctrinal principle, and we must recognize that committing our way to the Lord is simply opening our eyes to "the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9). We are as fish that swim in the ocean that is God, and the more we know and believe the truth, the more our being will be illuminated for both our benefit and the blessing of others. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ has delivered born again believers from the cruel slavery of believing that we can make our own way in a universe where only One Creator exists. We therefore "commit" our way to Him. We roll away our lives from ourselves with great confidence and determination to the God who will faithfully bring to pass the fulfillment of His glory, His will, and His blessed reality in us.

"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
(Ephesians 2:10)