Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him?
Have You Ever Been Carried Away For Him?
“She hath wrought a good work on Me.” Mark 14:6
If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.
Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvelous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?
There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion – “Am I of any use?” and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself.
When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.
Culled from My Utmost for His Highest
Verse 1
O Lord of heaven and earth and sea,
To Thee all praise and glory be;
How shall we show our love to Thee,
Giver of all?
Verse 2
The golden sunshine, vernal air,
Sweet flowers and fruits, Thy love declare
Where harvests ripen, Thou art there,
Giver of all!
Verse 3
For peaceful homes and heathful days,
For all the blessings earth displays,
We owe Thee thankfulness and praise,
Giver of all!
Verse 4
Thou didst not spare Thine only Son,
But gav’st Him for a world undone,
And freely with that Blessed One,
Thou givest all!
Verse 5
Thou giv’st the Holy Spirit’s dower,
Spirit of life, and love, and power,
And dost His sevenfold graces shower
Upon us all
Verse 6
For souls redeemed, for sins forgiven,
For means of grace, and hopes of Heaven,
Father, what can to Thee be given,
Who givest all?
Verse 7
We lose what on ourselves we spend:
We have as treasure without end
Whatever, Lord, to Thee we lend,
Who givest all!
Verse 8
Whatever, Lord, we lend to Thee
Repaid a thousandfold will be,
Then gladly will we give to Thee
Giver of all!
Verse 9
To Thee, from Whom we all derive
Our life, our gifts, our power to give,
Oh, may we ever with Thee live,
Giver of all! Amen.
