![]() “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” (2 Corinthians 8:5) The church at Macedonia left us a great example of what is required of us before engaging in service to God. They taught us that before you do anything in the name of the Lord, you must first commit ALL to him. In them we saw a church that had counted the cost and had forsaken all, otherwise they would not have endured. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I do not think that these Macedonians would ever have thought of giving themselves up to the church if they had not first given themselves up to God; for in those days, you know, to join the Christian church meant enduring shame, and persecution, and frequently death itself. They had to steal away by night to the private assemblies of the saints; and if they joined the church, and it was once known, there would probably soon be the cry, “throw them to the lions!” and they would be taken to the amphitheatre first to be exhibited, and then to be devoured by wild beasts. Men did not care about joining churches in those days unless they first gave themselves to the Lord.” Before the three Hebrew boys faced the fiery furnace, they had already committed ALL to the Lord. Before David faced Goliath, and endured the wrath of Saul, he had already committed ALL of himself to Lord. Elijah dared not attempt to pray fire down on a flooded altar unless he had first committed his ALL to God. In Acts 19:11-17, the story of the Jewish exorcists provides us with a visual of what a lack of commitment or the absence of a relationship looks like. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” This is a commit ALL endeavor. Yes, Jesus wants us to commit ALL of ourselves to him. Dear Lord, we commit ALL to you today. We understand that it will take a wholehearted commitment, not half or partial in order to face our challenges. Remind us all the day long that we are overcomers in you, knowing that we have been crucified in Christ. We no longer live, but it is you that lives in us. This life that we live in this flesh, we commit ALL to you in faith. GiGi❤️
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