[Songs in the Night - August 4]
And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church. Ephesians 1:22
DEARLY beloved, the time is short, the great prize
we seek is near, the "mark" or standard of character to
be attained is plainly set before us, and the Scriptures
are luminous with illustrations of the necessity for
complete consecration to the Lord, showing us that it
means deadness to self.
Shall we not each see to it
that by the grace of God every other head and authority
is completely cut off and cast aside, and that henceforth,
as the apostle expressed it, "For me to live is
Christ"—as a member of the body of Christ, guided by
his will as discerned through his Word and providence
and example?
This is another picture of full completion
of character likeness to our Lord.
Did he not fully
give up his own headship, his own will, to the Father's
will?
He surely did; and as that full consecration was
rewarded by the Father, so we have the assurance
that our full consecration (and nothing less than this)
will be fully rewarded by our Lord and Head in the
kingdom. Z'01-229 R2846:1 (Hymn 326)