Fully Available

The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender. —William Booth

One afternoon a Christian author found herself on an airplane, sitting next to a young man. She writes, “I had already observed something about this young man when I was being seated. He called me ‘ma'am.’ At the time I thought, ‘Either he thinks I'm ancient, or he's from the South where they still teach manners, or he's in the service.’ I decided the latter was the most likely, so I asked, ‘You in the service?’

“’Yes, ma'am, I am.’ ‘What branch?’ ‘Marines.’ ‘Hey, Marine, where are you coming from?’ ‘Operation Desert Storm, ma'am.’ ‘No kidding? Desert Storm! How long were you there?’ I asked. ‘A year and a half. I'm on my way home. My family will be at the airport.’ I then commented that he must have thought about returning to his family and home many times while he was in the Middle East. ‘Oh, no, ma'am,’ he replied. ‘We were taught never to think of what might never be, but to be fully available right where we were.’”

Imagine if that Marine had spent all his time thinking of home, dreaming of time with family, and wishing he were back where was safe. He would have been no good to his platoon! He had to surrender his own personal desires to the Marine Corps in order to be effective in combat.

As Christians, sometimes we can spend so much time wishing we were somewhere else or desiring some possession that we are not effective in the Lord’s work! God has given us a purpose and a goal in life. But we must be focused on that purpose and be fully available to God’s work.

Remember the rich young ruler who came to see Christ? “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?...Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich” (Luke 18:18, 22–23). He wanted to follow Christ but he was too focused on his wealth to be fully available to God.

Is there some spiritual distraction in your life? Is something hindering you from focusing on God and being fully available to Him? Only when you completely surrender your will to God can He use you to His glory. It is just like the clay has to be completely moldable in the potter’s hands before he can create a masterpiece.

Completely surrender your life to Christ. Give Him control of every area of your life today. Do not allow even the smallest area to hinder your effectiveness for the Lord.

Source: DITW, January 4, 2009