Yet, after this one comprehensive act of dedication it is quite proper for us, as new light comes to us and we become conscious of new powers or possibilities we can lay at His feet, to say our glad yes to His claim as often as it is renewed. This is only the working out in detail of the all-inclusive consecration that we made at first.
Beloved, have you thus dedicated yourself and your spirit to God? Will you henceforth dare to reckon yourself all the Lord's, and as each new chamber of your higher nature opens to your consciousness, will you gladly put the key to it in His gracious hand and recognize Him as its Owner and Guest?
The sanctified spirit is a spirit filled with the presence and the Spirit of the Lord. What it gives to Him is only a possibility; His presence alone makes it a reality. Even when dedicated, it is but a vessel, empty and meet for the Master's use. It is He who fills it and pours it out for the supply of the needs of others or to satisfy the desire of His own heart. Even the consecration that we make to God, the very act of dedication itself, has to be made perfect by His grace. We cannot even yield ourselves to Him in a manner that is without imperfection, but we can choose to be His. Then He will come into our dedicated wills and make the living sacrifice worthy of His holy altar.
We can lie down upon that altar in full surrender and because He, the great Burnt-Offering, offered Himself to God for us, once for all, we too can become to God a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor. This was really the meaning of the Burnt-Offering of old. The offerer did not offer himself, but touched the spotless lamb and it became the perfect offering. So with our hand upon the head of Christ, our consecration is accepted in Him, and He comes into our wills and our spirits, and so unites Himself with us that the sacrifice is acceptable and complete.
Our knowledge of God and fellowship with Him are dependent upon His own grace to be made effectual. We dedicate our spirits to God. Then He reveals Himself to us, opening the eyes of our understanding, showing us the person of Christ, unfolding His truth to our spiritual apprehension, and making us to see light in His own light.
It is wonderful how the untutored mind will often, in a short time by the simple touch of the Holy Spirit, be filled with the most profound and scriptural teaching of God and the plan of salvation through Christ. We once knew a poor girl who was saved from a life of infamy but had little education. In a few days she rose to the most extraordinary acquaintance with the Scriptures and the whole pan of redemption through the simply anointing of the Holy Spirit. We simply give to Him our spirits that we may know Him; He fills us with His light and revelation.
~A. B. Simpson~
(continued with # 12 - "We Cannot Create That Image")
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