All I Am is Yours

Yesterday, we spent the whole day at a water park and did not start our worship service until nearly 9:45 p.m. Everyone was tired. We still pressed into the presence of God. Sean was anointed in leading us in worship. He sang one of my favorite songs. The chorus goes, "So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned in awe of the One who gave it all, so I'll stand my soul Lord to You surrendered all I am is Yours."

I preached from [James 4:8] about drawing near to God and God drawing near to us. One of the first steps for that to take place is to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. We must repent of sin. We dwelled on the  majesty and magnificence of God desiring to draw near to us. Superior stooping down the commune with the inferior. The Creator giving audience to the creation. Those students stayed engaged until 11:00 p.m. We were in the presence of a holy, mighty, and loving God. In the end, we discussed that God wants all of us down to the last drop like water poured from a bottle. He wants to come near us and get close to us. He wants us to live "all I am is Yours" more than to just sing the words. He wants more than for us to live out the remainder of our lives as good church members. He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants to be the center of our universe, the object of our deepest affections, the One to whom we are most loyal, the leader we follow, the audience of One we worship, the cause we live for, the focus of our passion, the One to whom we abandon our hearts, and the One to whom we surrender our souls. That is what God wants and deserves.

When we take steps to draw near to Him or get closer to Him, He draws near to us as well. This makes loving, serving, and worshipping Jesus real, dynamic, exciting, and the greatest adventure we could ever know. This is more than learning facts about God. I can learn facts about Presidents of the United States or celebrities but that does not mean that I know them. Furthermore, those people do not care to know me. God does. He wants to be known. He waits to be wanted and is ever ready to draw near to those whose hearts and souls are abandoned to Him.

During the invitation I got on my knees and pressed my head against the concrete floor and prayed, "Lord, all I am is Yours. I am completed surrendered to You as much as I know how. I lay my life down on Your altar. I am Yours to the last drop. I will do anything You want me to do." While praying I had a flash back in my mind. I was transported back to another youth worship service years ago after preaching from [Rom 12:1] I urge you by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy which is your reasonable service of worship. That night I preached that message because God was dealing with me about relocating my ministry. When I gave the invitation many students responded. I found my way off the stage and through all those kneeling students to the side of the stage near the organ. I knelt down before the Lord and prayed a similar prayer as I prayed last night. I prayed, "Lord if nobody else in this whole room means it I lay my life, family, and future at your feet on your altar as sacrifice to You. If you want to move me I give you my yes right now. You have all of me." In essence what I prayed last night and that night several years ago was, "All I am is Yours. Down to the last drop. You can do with me what You please."

That is an exciting thing to pray and an exciting way to live but it is not easy. It has meant for me never getting to stay with churches and people I love. It has meant starting over again and again. It has meant dwindling salaries and the necessity of trusting God for provision. It has meant living in some less than desirable conditions. It has meant preaching in small venues. It has meant living daily available and surrendered to God. It has not been easy. In fact there have been times it has been hard, confusing, and painful to be surrendered to God and His call. I have wept. I have been confused. I have been forsaken by people but never by God.

This morning as I write this, I say with all assurance it has been worth it. I would not want to live any other way than for all of me to be all of His for all of my days. Now, as we bring this to a close, I have a question for you I posed to those students last night. Will you draw near to God and totally abandon your heart, soul, and life to Him? Will you say, sing, and live that all you are is His? He awaits your response.