california            SHASTA LAKE CALVARY CHAPEL

Ugh!  What Do You Mean “Give it to God?”

 

Early in my Christian walk, I would seek counsel with pastors, brothers, and sisters about personal issues that I struggled with. Come on, we all have issues. Some of my issues were anger or the way I dealt with perceived people problems. Some of my issues had to do with bondages such as marijuana and cigarettes. Other issues I had were familiar habits such as cursing or most of my thought patterns. The one answer that everyone told me was, “Just give it to God.” It got to be whenever I heard that I would want to say ugh! Now whenever someone says that to me, I am inclined to say something like, “What does that look like? or “Can you give me an example?”  Unfortunately, that usually ends the conversation, or the conversation becomes strained and uncomfortable.

 

In the homily “My Way God,” I stated that we had to put to death our old nature. As Christians, we received God’s Spirit and He now dwells with us. We have become the temple in which He has made Holy. As we begin to understand what that means, He will reveal to us those things that He wants us to change—things He wants to change in us in our old nature. When God wants to change something in you, His Spirit will begin to speak to you through thoughts, His Word, or other people the behavior He wants to change. Here is where most Christians begin to fall short. Here is where Christians begin to say things like, “Just gotta give it to God,” but really don’t have any idea how or what that means.

 

In Corinth, Paul is addressing Christians on how to come to the communion table. I believe that this is the beginning of transformation. It is communion with God in remembrance of Jesus who He has provided for us to have victory over our old nature.

 

1 Corinthians 11:27–32:  Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. (Highlight by me.)

 

The first step to “Giving it to God” is to examine yourself. By self-examination, you can search out and remove those things that are offensive to God. When those things are revealed by God’s Spirit in you, then His grace gives you strength to declare the victory over a little portion of the old nature.

 

Father, I pray each Christian would learn to examine himself and not his neighbor. Teach us, Lord, how to love ourselves by accepting the gift of love you have given us all. Amen.

 

In service to Him and you, Pastor Jim