HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD
CHAPTER TWO
WEEK 2 - TUESDAY
Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15; 9:18, 24-25; Phil. 1:21a; 2:12, 13; 3:8-10; 1; Heb. 10:35
Read and pray: "So, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)
THE MEANING OF PAYING A PRICE
Paying a price is setting aside everything that is not of God in order to receive the second part of divine salvation. We must abandon everything that is outside of God, including the "I", the flesh, the natural being, the disposition, family, religion, wealth, reputation, position, and future.
The sum of all these things relates to “all your possessions” mentioned by the Lord in Luke 14:33 and to “all things” mentioned by the apostle in Philippians 3:8. The Lord said that we need to renounce all possessions to follow Him, and the apostle said that we need to lose all things to gain Christ.
We must do this because God in Christ intends to work in us so that we can be united to Him and mingled with Him. We need to abandon and set aside everything that is outside of God, regardless of whether these things are good or bad, from the past or the future.
In this way, the price we must pay has many aspects, such as the price required in Matthew 5 to 7, 13, 24, and 25, the price in Philippians 3, and the price in Revelation 3:18. Additionally, there is also the price related to reward and punishment (1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15; 9:18, 24-25; Heb. 10:35). All of these prices involve one principle: the price we must pay is to lose everything that is outside of God.
We must set aside everything that is not in agreement with God and that opposes God, takes His place, and replaces Him. Otherwise, we will not give Him the proper opportunity or the sufficient foundation to work freely in us. Consequently, we will not experience God abundantly.
Do not think that renouncing everything, as the Lord said, is too much. Nor think that it is extremely difficult to abandon all things, as the apostle said. The Lord and the apostle said these things because, in order to experience and gain God, we must renounce everything that is not God, that is, we must abandon all things. This is not simply a condition; it is a necessity.
If we live on our own, God cannot be in us with life. If we trust in countless people, things, and matters, and do not commit fully to God, He cannot be all in our interior. If family, spouse, and children are more precious to us than God, then God cannot be all in us. If education, fame, position, and future are more beloved to us than God, then God cannot be our joy and our inner element.
Suppose that, although we believe in God, we live according to things that are outside of God, and these things are everything to us. Although there is no doubt that we are eternally saved, God’s intention to work in us to fully blend us with Him in unity is completely impossible and unfeasible. When we live this way, we not only fail to fulfill what is required of us, but also God’s intention cannot be fulfilled in us. We do not pay the price that is required for God to work in us and be mingled with us.
Some may say that, when talking about paying the price, we despise the effectiveness of the Lord’s salvation. Those who say this do not realize that what they are saying is not in accordance with the truth. The part of salvation that concerns the forgiveness of sins and receiving eternal life can only be obtained by faith. However, we must pay a price if we want God to enter into us and mingle with us, to work in us both to will and to do (Phil. 2:13) and empower us to live Christ (1:21a), always allowing Christ to be magnified in our body (v. 20b).
We cannot reach this level simply by faith. It is impossible to find a verse in the entire Bible that says we can obtain this result simply by faith. Paul explicitly said that, since God works in us both to will and to do, we must obey with fear and trembling (2:12). He also said that, if we desire to live Christ, we do not care about living or dying.
Not only that, if we want to gain Christ and know Him and the power of His resurrection, we need to lose all things and count them as rubbish (3:8-10). Isn’t this paying a price? The second part of God’s salvation requires that we pay a price. This is both a requirement and a fact.
Enjoy more: Hymn 275
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