“If God wants you to do something, he'll make it possible for you to do it, but the grace he provides comes only with the task and cannot be stockpiled beforehand. We are dependent on him from hour to hour, and the greater our awareness of this fact, the less likely we are to faint or fail in a crisis.” —Louis Cassels
Some time ago my mother shared with me a letter that had been found in the office of a young pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa:
“I am part of the Fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast and I've stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience, I’m uplifted by prayer and labor with power. My pace is set, my gait is fast. My goal is heaven and my road is narrow. My way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity…”
The letter was found by the members of the church he led. They were cleaning out his office in the days after his body had been found battered and mutilated. Wow, what can you say about something like that? Can we possibly have that kind of clarity in a country where we do not face the possibility of death for our faith?
The thing I love about this letter is that this young man decided one day that he was fully surrendering to Jesus. Our words will be different I suspect, our experience will most likely be different too, but we can all surrender to Jesus.
My Lord and my God, Your Word says I no longer live, but You live in me. I surrender to You now, and ask that in the big things and the little things my life would be a reflection of the radical Truth about who I am in You. I don't want to make this up. I can't do it in my own strength. I rest in You now and simply ask that You would live through me as You see fit. Praise to You! Amen.
