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The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life - these do not come from the Father but are from the world. (I John 2:15-17 AMP) God created things - useful and pleasant - for us before He made us on earth. He made things for our sustenance and delight - for our uses. These things were meant only to be external and subservient to man. In the deep heart of man was a place where none but God was worthy to live. Sin brought complications making these gifts a source of ruin for the heart. God was forced out off His throne and things were allowed to enter. The nature of man is now to covet things - to possess all that we can. In fact, man now covets things with a deep and fiery passion. Our hearts have grown down deep into things. Things have become necessary to us. God's gifts now take the place of God Himself. Remember God gave us things to serve us - to delight us. However, things became the enemy of our heart which we tolerate as life and self = our self life made up of things. Jesus said in Matt. 16:24-25, If any man desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. The only way to destroy this enemy is by the cross. We must take up our cross and follow HIM. The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty - the abnegation of all things. We must root out of our hearts all things and all sense of possessing. (Tozer) We can no longer be slaves to the stronghold of things. We can only begin to understand what it means to surrender self. This teaching is a crossroad on our journey to higher mountains. We cannot bypass this in our pursuit of the deep revelation of God. A great historical example of God's love in rooting out things is given in the account of Abraham in Genesis 22. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Isaac became the delight and idol of Abraham's heart. Actually, we may be so bold as to assume that he became the love slave of his son. Can you imagine begging for a child for all those years and finally the promise is fulfilled? Before you criticize Abraham, put yourself in his shoes. This fulfillment of a son was almost more than his heart could contain. Finally, he would have an heir to fulfill God's covenanted promise. Isaac represented everything sacred to this Father's heart and soon this much loved son began to take God's place in the shrine built for God alone. God steps in to save them both from the consequences of an uncleansed love. God now requires of him to give up Isaac. We are spared the agony of that night as Abraham perhaps wrestled for hours in his very own Gethsemane. God only wanted to remove Isaac from the temple of his heart so that God alone would reign unchallenged there. Of course, we know the end of the account. God intervenes and gives Isaac back. God now knows that in the course of Abraham's life, that He alone has first place. The secret in Abraham's life now became this very important point; he had everything but possessed nothing. (Tozer) Jesus came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him and nothing is safe that is not committed to Him. It is as Tozer put it - the blessedness of possessing nothing. Nothing has my heart - not things, ideas, concepts, and treasures - only the treasure of HIS LOVE AND PRESENCE. My challenge to you, my friends, is to ask God what are the hidden treasures of your heart. You will be surprised as the Holy Spirit begins to highlight those areas that have challenged God's presence. As He illumines these areas, obey the Spirit's prompting and confess your sin and ask the Father to set you free from this treasure of things. Today, pick up your cross and follow ONLY HIM. { Back to Articles } |
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