J esus stated that to be His disciples requires the giving up “all rights to ourselves” and taking up the cross to follow Him (Matthew 16:24)
The Lord’s command gives one measurement of discipleship. The measurement is not how much we KNOW or how many people we can prove WRONG, but does the Lord have you?
How often do you give thought to the Lord’s ownership of your life? We acknowledge Him as our Saviour, Redeemer, example and Friend. But do we acknowledge Him as our Owner – one who has ALL rights to every aspect to our lives?
Spiritual deception is possible when we believe that discipleship consists only of externals. Clearly, the responsibilities of assembling for worship, giving as we prosper, praying and teaching, helping the needy, visiting the sick, etc., are necessary. Every Christian will express their faith in a tangible way. Every Christian will show their faith (James 2:26)
But the crucial question for us is, “What is my attitude towards my life? Who owns my life? When we give up all rights to ourselves, we live the meaning of our Lord’s words – “Not my will but thine be done.” If those words are practically demonstrated, the emphasis to Christian living is not on how much we know or how much we have or how much we can do, but does the Lord own us?
Dr. Taylor A. McKenzie
October 21, 2018
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