This is a Year of Dedication. This is a year to prepare ourselves for witness! It is good for us all to suffer a period of self-search; to determine whether we are all that God wants us to be as His witnesses in the world.
What Is Dedication?
If we look up this word in our Concordance we discover that the English words “dedicate” and “dedication” appear in the New Testament (A.V.) only twice. The translators have chosen to use other words for the same original — most commonly “holy” and “sanctified”.
The idea behind these words is the same, however. To be “dedicated” or “sanctified” means to be set apart for a special purpose.
1 Cor. 6:11 says, “but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God”.
Ask yourself these questions about this verse — (a) Who is being sanctified? (b) Who is doing the sanctifying?
Now look up the following verses and ask yourself the same questions — 1 Cor. 1:30, 6:11; Eph. 1:4, 5:26-27; 1 Thess. 4:3; Heb. 2:11, 10:10, 10:14; 1 Peter 2:5.
The idea presented by these verses is interesting isn’t it? They would suggest that our sanctification is done by God, not by us. By a process initiated by God we become separated to Him.
Col. 1:21-22 makes it clearer — “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked words, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight”.
We were sinners, and as sinners we could do nothing to bring ourselves to God. We could not dedicate or sanctify ourselves. Instead, it was done for us by God, through Jesus. By baptism we accepted the sanctification offered to us; we became a separate people for Him.
What a tremendous concept this is. To be made holy, to be set apart; to be considered fit for service and part of the body of Christ; to have God working through us, to be temples for His Spirit — and why? All because Jesus died for us, not because of anything we have done.
IT IS COMPLETE! WE ARE GOD’S!
We no longer belong to ourselves. All that we are, all that we have is His.
What Is Our Part?
If so much has been done for us, what can we do in this Year of Preparation? Surely this is a time for self-examination. If we are a separate people, do we behave that way? Are our lives noticeably different from those of the people around us? Do we act as though our lives and our possessions did not really belong to us?
What Can We Do?
If we look at some Old Testament verses we can find examples of the kinds of things which were then dedicated to God and to His service. Num. 7:11, Judges 17:3, 2 Sam. 8:11, 1 Kings 8:63, 15:15, 1 Chron. 26:20 & 27, 2 Chron. 2:4, 15:18, 7:9, Ezra 6:16, Neh. 12:27, Ezek. 44:29.
It is clear, is it not, that a variety of things were set apart for God? These things were used exclusively for Him, often in Temple worship.
We do not have that temple worship; but does that mean we cannot use our belongings in God’s service? Of course not! Just because God doesn’t command us, via the Law, to give certain things to Him, does not mean He requires less of us. In fact, He wants more from us — but He wants it to come from love. Because of our love for God, everything we have should be His, to use as He wishes.
Here are some questions to ponder —
- Is there anything you have which you couldn’t dedicate to God?
- Is there anything you wouldn’t dedicate to God?
- Do you know how to dedicate something to God?
- Have you dedicated all you have to God?
How? The question of how to dedicate things to God need not be difficult. Each person must do as he/she sees best, but here is a suggestion. There would seem to be two stages in dedication —
- The Prayer Of Dedication,
- The Application, In Practice, Of That Dedication By Using The Dedicated Thing In God’s Service.
Self-Search
Only you can decide whether all you have is dedicated to God, and only I can decide about myself. But God knows the truth about us both.
If we have searched our hearts and we know that all we have is not dedicated to God, then now is that time to do something about it. Let’s take each thing specifically and dedicate it to God in prayer and ask Him to give us the strength and wisdom to carry that dedication through into practice.
If we have discovered something in our possession which we cannot dedicate, then let it be put away.
God Wants Us
Our acceptance of our sanctification by God does not just mean that we take the pains to give our belongings to Him. God wants ALL of us — our time, our thoughts, our speech, our energies.
Look at these verses — Rom. 12:1, 2 Tim. 2:4, 2:20-21, Heb. 10:21-24.
Complete submission of ourselves to God is important when we consider our witness and preaching. If we have not, in practice, become His, then our witness will be hindered either —
- by us withholding resources which God has given us — both things and ourselves;
- by standing in the way of the message, because we are showing ourselves and not Jesus.
This Year of Dedication could be seen as a reminder and a refresher-course in who we are. Do you now fully understand that you are a sanctified person? — that you have become set apart for Him? If you do, then you must realise the implications. Just like the temple objects, we are now to be used exclusively for God’s service. All that we have is His, even our lives. As God’s people we have to do His will and obey His commands always. To put that into practice is not an easy task. That’s what our Year of Dedication is about. Perhaps we could all, this week, and during the coming months, include this prayer in our prayers to God:
Dear Father,
Thank you that I am sanctified to you, that you have set me apart to serve you. Thank you for Jesus, and for his love in dying, for he made my sanctification possible. Help me today to remember that 1 belong to you and that my life is yours. Keep me from wasting my time, my goods, and life, doing anything but your Will.
Show me how, in every part of my life, 1 can serve You.
Accept this prayer from your grateful child, through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen.
Daniel The Prophet – (Part 3)