A Renewed Purpose

(This is part 1 of 2 parts. To see part 2, click here.)

Hello Friends,

An old piece of furniture went through a bit of transformation for my work space. Jim and I found a solid wood, low chest of drawers at an antique store for only $75.00. It had sheet music decoupaged all over the top and front. Jim scraped and repainted it to match my cream colored theme and I enjoyed picking out new knobs to replace the floppy handles. It’s the type of chest that would have been used at the foot of a bed or under a low window. You could imagine it being filled with extra blankets or seasonal clothing. Being long enough, we knew this piece would be perfect for a printer stand to hold both of my printers. I liked the idea that I could swing around in my chair and my equipment would be at the perfect height. Of course, I also liked that I could hide my paper supply, electrical cables and other equipment, and even the used paper in its three large sturdy drawers.

My first thought when I got the inspiration of renewing real furniture for office use, instead of buying expensive, bulky, and plain office furniture, was how I would be dedicating the pieces to a renewed use, a use they had probably never seen before. It reminded me of one of God’s wonderful works of grace He wants us to receive—consecration. This is my message for today and its 2nd part that will be coming in my next letter.

I’d like to define two related words, “consecrate” and “dedicate” that are used somewhat interchangebly, but Webster’s 1828 Dictionary presents a clarifying distinction. Dedicate means to appropriate, devote, and give wholly to, whereas consecrate means separated from a common to a sacred use, dedicated to the service and worship of God. We may be able to use dedicate in both the natural and spiritual senses, whereas consecrateis limited to the spiritual sense.

What first gets my attention is appropriate, making me think of laying hold of. I’m reminded of when my son, John, at the age of eight-years-old layed hold of one of my cast iron pots used for cooking large amounts of meat or a pot of stew. Only his intention wasn’t to help me in the kitchen, rather he wanted it for boiling small animal carcasses outside on the coleman stove so he could study the skeletons?! As I’m sure you can imagine, this peculiar appropriation resulted in the dedication of that pot for a sole purpose. It would never again be used for cooking food! It was given wholly to a new use. A few years later, another need arose involving my old, unused double-boiler when John wanted to learn how to make candles. The double-boiler was given wholly to a new specific purpose. In these real lifestyle of learning™ examples, the objects were dedicated to a new and unordinary, yet natural use.

In Old Testament times, God’s people appropriated objects for use in the service of the Lord in the Lord’s house. These objects were no longer to have an ordinary use, but were put to a holy use, therefore they were made new. Something that was being used in one way was appropriated and dedicated for a new use, making it renewed. John’s unique dedication gave my pots a new use in a natural sense (not holy), whereas the dedication of the objects in the Lord’s house were for a holy use, thus a sacred use, resulting in consecration.

I’m sure we could all come up with examples of how we’ve consecrated—maybe even unawares at times—various objects for a sacred use. Some believers keep small vials of anointing oil used especially when laying hands on another believer for prayer. Some use special prayer candles and communion implements for sacred spiritual disciplines. It’s even a common practice for believers to pray around the perimeters of their dwelling places when first inhabiting them, asking for God’s protection while setting aside their dwelling as a place where the Lord lives among His believers.

You may be asking what all this dedication and consecration of objects and dwellings has to do with us today. Well, as I’m sure you already know, it doesn’t begin and end with pots and anointing oil. In the Old Testament, consecration was a work of God’s grace in Israel, making them a people set apart for holy use. Today it is a work of God’s grace in the believer through faith in Jesus Christ—a work we must intentionally receive through the Holy Spirit’s work in our heart.

How do we achieve consecration? In Israel consecration was achieved through animal sacrifices, while NT believer’s achieve Christ’s dedication of the new and living way through the shedding of His blood. “Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city’s] gate in order that He might purify and consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own blood and set them apart as holy [for God]” (Hebrews 13:12).

Our Purpose ~ To Be Holy

The Scripture clearly indicates that God’s plan was not limited to eternal life through redemption by faith in His Son, but He wants a people set apart for His use right now. And it is also clear that consecration of our lives is important enough to require the shedding of Christ’s blood to make it possible. He intended all along for consecration to be a part of our salvation experience. This makes it important enough to understand what our part is to cooperate with this work of grace in our lives.

We know that the doctrine of salvation and all that it entails is a positional truth we experience by faith and so it is reckoned to us through faith in the shed blood of Jesus. Justification actually changes our status with God. He sees us as saved and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. However, there remains an outworking toward the perfection of our faith—a change in state or condition. The Word admonishes us to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

Many of you are in this place of allowing God to have more and more say in your life. You’re learning to yield to Him at the heart-level as you receive the correction and instruction for how to love your family the way He desires for you. God initiated this work of grace in your life, but you are a co-initiator with Him in that you have to deliberately choose to cooperate, allowing Him to set you apart to begin a needed process of discipline that will lead to a fuller expression of His love in your heart and Christlike character in your relationships. Consecration is merely an expression of your willingness to be in God’s hands. And it can take place in just a few moments or over a short period of time where you receive revelation in stages.

Jesus Appropriates Us

God appropriated Israel to be set apart for holy use, and in fact considered Israel holiness to Him (Jeremiah 2:3). Likewise, believers partake in this grace and holy calling through faith in Jesus Christ for the renewed purpose of testifying to the world of His virtues and perfections. A beautiful example of New Testament consecration was when Jesus “layed hold of” Saul on the road to Damascus. He not only saved him, but called him to become consecrated for His holy use (Acts 16:16-18). God’s Word promises that when we consecrate our lives to the Lord we will never be disappointed or put to shame.

Consecration Is the Gate

We can view consecration simply as the gate we enter toward life, while God’s dealings with us through disciplines, which consist of numerous corrections and instructions in right living and right relating practices, will take us on the pathway that leads away from that gate, lasting for years. We are called to be disciplined by God as He parents us with many instances of correction and instruction that will form Christlike character in us. Without consecration the Holy Spirit encounters difficulties in disciplining us, because we fail to yield up our ways. This work demands that we be consecrated—intentionally allowing ourselves to be in God’s hands—so we don’t hinder His work in our heart. This work empowers us to parent our children for Him. He wants to mold us and fashion us to be an image to His glory, and bring us into His service that will last a lifetime.

Please let me know how this message inspires you. I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. I pray the Good Lord has His way to renew your purpose.

So grateful to be in the Lord’s service,

Marilyn Howshall for Lifestyle of Learning™ Ministries

(Click here to see part 2.)

P.S.: If you are not already a member of LOLACHE, I hope you can join me, my friends, and the other serious parents who are gathered there to allow God to do a heart-level work in them. We not only provide lots of practical help for your family’s lifestyle of learning, but through the Moms Forum, you are also encouraged to ask questions and receive personal input that will help you influence your family relationships at the heart-level.

[Lifestyle of Learning™/LOLACHE eNewsletter ~ Feb 29, 2012, Issue 13]