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Think about the areas of your life as pennies. You're going to spend them according to your current priorities. Family, career, faith, friends, etc... each gets at least one, but if your focus needs to be in one are more than the others, then you're going to spend more on it in the moment. In the same way, an athlete is going to focus more on their training ahead of a major event; or a musician is going to practice more ahead of a concert. This shows dedication to the purpose. How much are we spending on our faith on any given day?? That's what consecration is. Dedication to and focus on God.
As Christians, consecration of our lives to God should be a natural progression following conversion. That is not always the reality, however. And this can be due to any one, or all of the following misconceptions --
1) Consecration occurs without a struggle. Both the Bible and mature Christians debunk this theory. We can turn to John 16:33 to find Jesus addressing this directly when He said, "... in this world, you will have trouble; but take heart, I have overcome the World." Philippians 2:12 encourages us to, "work out your faith in fear and trembling." We are not promised rainbows and butterflies (nor rose gardens); we still have to live in this World for the duration until Christ returns. If we weren't going to still be challenged by life, we wouldn't need the Holy Spirit to guide us. We would have our "Fire Insurance" and be good to go.
The reality is that some people never consecrate their lives while others may consecrate most, but not all to God. The fully mature Christian is the one who consecrates everything. I'm thinking that very few actually achieve this level, myself included, if I'm going to be 100% honest.
2) Some people think that consecration is a "one and done" issue. The reference I just cited above in Philippians also works to debunk this myth. Some reach a "mountaintop" experience and dedicate their lives to God in praise only to fall backward or "stall" later. As with the sports and music analogies previously mentioned, dedication or consecration requires a daily decision to focus and practice. It might seem easier if training or practice could be completed in a single session; but that's not the case. It takes many repetitions to achieve muscle memory to the ends of a successful game or concert. But as with many things in life, even our practices of faith can come under the "use it or lose it" policy*.
3) The third is probably the most dangerous misconception. This is when people think that conversion and consecration are one and the same. This simply isn't so. I mean, just think about the logic here. You can't just join a team and not show up for practices or you won't know the strategy being worked out for the next game. Likewise, you can't sign up for a choir and not attend rehearsals or you won't know how the director plans on you executing the music. Likewise, you can't just decide to become a Christian and not learn what it takes to be successful.
The core Scripture reference for the proper mindset toward consecration is Romans 12:1 which encourages us to, "... present your bodies a living sacrifice to God which is your reasonable service." If you look at the Sermon Summary for March 26, you will find that this is all based in love. God's love for us empowers our love for Him, for ourselves, and for others.
There are 5 key concepts brought out here -
- Consecration is acceptable to God after conversion. While this series does not present in perfect order, consecration is only possible at some point after conversion.
- Consecration is a voluntary act of our will. It is our responsibility to act.
- Consecration is the release to God of complete control over our lives. Don't misunderstand here, this doesn't cancel out Free Will, it simply aligns our will with His.
- Genuine consecration is accepted and received by God. (this really combines with the first one, so I'm not sure why it's presented as a separate thought) The fact is, some people don't feel that they are worthy to consecrate themselves until they are nearly perfect. They think their sins make them unacceptable; but the point they're missing is that God has already accepted them by way of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Of course, that doesn't justify continuing to sin after we have converted, it just means that God knows we're not perfect and loves us anyway.
- Consecration is completely logical and reasonable to us. If we truly trust God, we will be more than willing to give ourselves over to His keeping in all things.
Our conclusion, then, lies in following Jesus' example as shown in the following ways -
He was consecrated in His purpose. John 6:38
He was consecrated in His work. John 5:36b
He was consecrated in His life. John 10-17b-18
The questions for group discussion are as follow -- (with my answers only as I was not present at the time)
List 3 major things people in society are dedicated to and why -- Health/Fitness in order to look and feel good
List 3 reasons why one 19 yr old twin may be consecrated to God while the other rejects Him -- The twin who rejects God may have been hurt either physically or emotionally by a Church Leader. He may just be in a rebellious phase. He may have an inferiority complex due to living in the brother's shadow.
How would your level of consecration affect your life?? More dedication = more success
Review Romans 12:1 and list 5 things God has done for you to make consecration to Him a reasonable response -- kids, healing*, protection*, love, provision
When was the last time you took a significant step toward consecration in your life?? Spring of 2016 following a period of "going through the motions" while my life was decidedly "less than exemplary."
The level of consecration you choose is entirely your decision, but the fact is, you'll never reach true Spiritual Maturity without it. And don't let the Devil con you into thinking that you're fine the way you are, either. We're none of us perfect, nor capable of it entirely; but the point lies in doing our best every day to follow Christ. I pray each of you examines yourself and allows God to examine you to bring out areas that need His touch.
-- God Bless!!
Footnotes --
1) The "use it or lose it" policy may not be applicable to riding a bike; but it does happen in other areas like HS Spanish or ASL classes. As mentioned above, it can also affect our faith.
2) I have experienced the healing touch of God in my body twice. The first was something "off" following the birth of my youngest in 2002. This was something I hadn't even been aware of, but God knew better. The 2nd was shortly after that when the crippling hip pain I had experienced during my pregnancy was healed. When we understand our authority in Christ, we can combat these things on our own to the degree of our faith combined with God's will. 1 Pet. 2:24 and Is. 53:5 attest to this, along with the Great Commission as presented in Matt. 18:18-20.
3) God protected and provided for me and my family when I drove a minivan that we later found out should not have been capable to drive at all. I had that van for about a year before we traded it in and the mechanic was beyond amazed.
I don't usually include music in these; but a perfect song came to mind a few minutes ago -- No rights, of course!!
This one is referenced above --
https://youtu.be/Sn5UJu52dfghttps://youtu.be/Sn5UJu52dfg
I saw the perfect meme for this post while scrolling MeWe last night over supper --
