No doubt you are familiar with Issac Watts’ great hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” In it he writes,
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Let’s ask the question: Why does God’s love demand our soul, our life, and our all? I’m persuaded that it is so that every cell, every particle of who we are might serve as a living sacrifice — a channel of his white-hot love for everyone in our lives. Nothing about us can be left out.
If we are going to belong to Jesus, we need to know that everything we have — our relationships, our use of time, our abilities, possessions, finances, health, and so on — everything — will be put to the service of his love.
Consequently, repentance simply means we give to Jesus for his discretionary use all these blessings that we’ve been accustomed to use for ourselves.
