"To consecrate yourself is to answer God's call to spiritual consecration. This means making a conscious, willing decision to dedicate your soul, mind, heart, and body to God. This decision must be one of will, intelligence, and affection."
(WikiHow)
A while ago I decided to enter a mountain bike competition. Part of the process was that I had to service my bike. The purpose of the bike is to get me from point A to point B, but if I don't look after my bike, the journey from point A to B might not be as smooth sailing as I'd hoped for.
To make it practical:
I understood the purpose of the bike
I willingly decided to entrust my bike to someone who knows much more than I do
I had faith that they had the skills and knowledge needed to service my bike
Let's dive into the Word.
2 Chronicles 29, is one of the many places in the Bible where Consecration is mentioned.
King Hezekiah, was only twenty-five years old when he became king. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he summoned all the Levites and priests and gave them the following order:
"...Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary."
2 Chronicles 29:5 (NIV)
After they consecrated themselves and purified the temple, they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley (2 Chronicles 29:15-16). They sacrificed the burnt offering on the altar, worshiped the Lord, singing and praising His name. All the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people because it was done so quickly (2 Chronicles 29:36).
The same principles apply:
The priests and the Levites understood the purpose for which the temple was built: to worship the Lord
It was a decision; they were invited to consecrate themselves and purify the temple
They took everything that was unclean to the Kidron Valley. The significance of the Kidron Valley was that it was the valley that Jesus used to walk through to Jerusalem. The valley also contains the Garden of Gethsemane and it separates the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. So when they placed all the unclean ornaments in the Kidron Valley, they figuratively placed them at the feet of Jesus. Surrendering to Him and declaring that He is King over all
How is this relevant to us today?
We need to understand what our purpose is on earth. We are His temple as followers of Christ, and we now have the purpose to worship Him in Spirit and in truth
We have to willingly decide to submit under His rule and reign every day and sanctify and consecrate our bodies and our lives unto Him
Through consecration, we surrender our lives into His loving hands and trust that He will repair what is broken and restore what is lost so that we can live in His purpose and spread the love of Christ wherever we go
What does this promise of a life of consecration assure us?
We, my dear friends, are not here for ourselves. Our lives, work, and the conversations we have are not without purpose. It is a life of worship unto Him.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Romans 12:1 (TPT)
May this be our declaration dear friends, may we understand the magnitude of the love of Christ that we carry in this world:
I am dispatched by the Holy Spirit, on kingdom assignments, to be a light in a darkened world, so others can see Jesus
Louie Giglio
One Thirst - Emmy Rose feat. Gable Price (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJgiJQfUBJk)
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