Christian Living

WHO THEN IS WILLING TO CONSECRATE HIMSELF?

by Chi Onwuchekwa
03/18/18
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“… Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” 2 Chronicles 29:5b

In 2 Chronicles 29 is an account that draws attention to the underlying need for holy living - a setting apart from the world and a wholehearted devotion to God - for all believers and especially for those called into ministry.

In 2 Chronicles 29:1-5,  King David shortly before his death gathers the elders of Israel and says to them:

“….Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

In other words, all the materials required to build the house of God are available, all that was left to find are men who are willing to devote and set themselves apart to do the work.

In this is a subtle reminder to all of us that after that we have put the legal framework in place, after we have put up a website, obtained premises for worship, after we have invested in media and technical equipment for modern-day worship, after that we have printed all the flyers and tracts, indeed after that we have put in place all the resources required to build (as David did), we must above all be willing to consecrate ourselves to the Lord.

While it sounds more of a message to the leadership of the church and ministries, it is however one to all believers as well. What this means for us then is that after we have set aside days to attend and support our churches, after we have set aside time, money, talents and other resources for the building of God’s kingdom, we must above all determine to present all we have to God in holiness, purity and wholehearted devotion.

Consecration will often birth holy living, holiness unto God will help in giving us access to “seeing God”, holiness will also translate into purity and purity gives to our “earthen vessels” the capacity to carry the presence and the power of The Almighty.  When we consecrate ourselves, our focus and devotion to God is enabled and this will birth in us spiritual fervency in the way we handle what we have been entrusted with. From His letter to the 7 churches in Revelations chapters 2-3, we know that while the church was commended for its works, labours, patience, charity, faith, etcetera, nevertheless it was asked to repent of unholy living (Revelations 2:14; 2:20;) and lukewarmness (Revelations 3:15-16). It is commendable to commit to building the house of God, my plea is that we also commit to doing it in holiness and purity.

Isaiah 52:11 states:

“Depart, depart, go out from there. Touch nothing unclean: Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD”

Apostle Paul re-states this in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18:

“Therefore

“Come out from among them

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you.”[

“I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the Lord Almighty.”

If we must build for God, if we must bear the vessels of the house of our God, then we must do so in consecration.

The call to “come out…” is not so much a call to a physical separation but a spiritual one. It does not imply that we live as hermits but rather that we live for God by His Spirit and not adopt the carnal lifestyle of this world. Of great concern however is that increasing number of Christians are living the hybrid life - proclaiming Christ as Lord and Saviour yet adopting the lifestyle choices of the world. Time and experience have however shown that a hybrid Christian-worldly lifestyle does not work. The worldliness we adopt, no matter how small or insignificant will ultimately negatively impact every area of our lives for as the Word of the Lord states in Galatians 5:9 ‘...a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump’.

I believe that the call to come out and separate ourselves from the world is more relevant now than ever! And so I leave you with the same question David asked the elders: are you willing to consecrate yourself to the Lord?

Shalom!

Chi Onwuchekwa