"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalms 119:18 (KJV)
Truly Surrendered
Many have their own idea of what a sold-out Christian is. Some think that just faithfully attending church and occasional praying puts them in the close-to God Christian category. Neither of those thoughts are even close to what it is to live for the Lord and be surrendered to whatever He requires of us.
Although not perfect, and called of God for a different time and purpose, Paul is a good example of a heart and life surrendered to the Lord. A look at Paul’s attitude and efforts towards living for God are certainly not what we see much of today.
Here is some of what we see of what Paul’s surrendering involved, as found in Acts 20:
- He shed many tears (vs. 19) and faced many temptations (trials).
- Taught and preached everything he knew (vss. 20, 35).
- Went door-to-door teaching (vs. 20).
- Taught to everyone (vs. 21).
- He knew for certain that the Holy Ghost was going to use him (vs. 22-23).
- His task was more important than his life (vs. 24).
- One of Paul’s driving forces was to complete the work God had given him to do (vs. 24).
- He would not have any one’s blood on his hands, as He had preached and taught to all he had an opportunity to minister to (vs. 26-27).
- He did not covet any of this world’s riches (vs. 33).
Ultimately, the best example to follow is that of Christ. However, there are some that exhibit Christ-like attributes which are good to emulate. Paul is one such man.
“God’s reward for good service to Him is more service! He uses whom He can trust the most!” — Barbara Brinkworth
This article was featured in the Bible View #669.