Get rid of the obstacles to living well for Jesus
$30 for a plastic bag to attend an American football event? No thanks, thought Gordon Allan. But he came to revisit that decision…
Both my sons play American football, and we once had the opportunity to attend an NFL game: the San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. Security was tight, and no bags were permitted other than the clear $30 bags on sale. Being ‘fiscally prudent,’ I decided not to buy one, but that meant I had a problem. I was about to sit for hours in the Californian sun with no shade.
No bag and no shade meant applying loads (multiple hours’ worth!) of sun cream before leaving for the game. And here is where the issue kicks in—a sun-cream-and-sweat sludge dripped into my eye. Something that shouldn’t have been there was there. It caused pain and blurred my vision.
A combination of “it will be better in a minute,” “I can ride this out,” “no one else can see my pain” (sunglasses on), “just carry on as normal,” and “I am going to look daft if I go to the restroom and baptise my eye in the sink” meant that I stayed in my seat for a long time.
I was no longer enjoying the game. My eye was bloodshot, streaming, and puffy. I was uncomfortable, others were noticing, and this was now significantly affecting myself and others. Something had to change!
The first step to bring cleansing and start the healing process was bigger in my own mind than in the thousands sitting around me. Heading to the restroom and splashing water in my eye was a two-minute non-event for others but a massive moment for me, removing the problem and bringing cleansing and refreshing after pain.
In a similar way, consecration involves getting rid of things that shouldn’t be there and that are an obstacle to living well for Jesus.
In the Old Testament, Joshua told the nation: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5). They were to remove things that were spiritually unclean from their lives in preparation for “amazing things” in God. Consecration sets us up for a move of God.
The New Testament writers used words such as “rid yourselves” (Ephesians 4:31; 1 Peter 2:1) regarding sinful attitudes that do not display Jesus’ character and have no place in our lives. Check out those verses and clear out anything that shouldn’t be there.
Bitterness, anger, brawling, slander, and every form of malice have to go if we are to live for Jesus and have a close relationship with him. And if you don’t know what to do, learn from my sun cream experience!
This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.