By Allan Bushnell
Allan is a student leader in the Campus Crusade for Christ fellowship at the University of Arizona
Brothers and sisters.
Have you found how easy it is to get caught up in our daily lives and in our concerns about our own well-being day by day? I find that most of us tend to have good intentions about reaching others for Christ, at least those who are directly around us.
Great, but what about those who are elsewhere in the world! The issue of sacrificing our own comforts and our own needs for the sake of others is our primary hindrance.
We don’t seem willing to do this in our generation! It’s time to step up and begin the process most important in catching a heart for the Great Commission….we need to DIE TO OURSELVES!!
What does it mean to die to yourself? That is a question we all ask ourselves. To die to one’s self begins with a complete surrendering of our concerns and our will to God, releasing our plans, and being willing to step out in faith toward His plan!
That means that you are going to have to stop allowing things to get in the way. Begin praying that the Lord would strengthen you, tell Him that you want to release your will (and I mean release it! That doesn’t mean just once, but everyday release it), and be willing to follow Him!
I was asked just last semester by somebody a very thought provoking question: “Allan, what would you do if God told you to drop everything, and to just pack up and head out internationally to reach others for Christ?”
Had they asked me a year before, my answer would have been, “I would have told God to hold on, let me finish my schooling, and then in return, I would go abroad and preach the Gospel for a while.” What was my answer then?
For the first time in my life I answered: “I would drop everything, I would pack up, and I would head out. I wouldn’t think twice, I would just go.” That may seem radical, but that is a portion of what surrendering one’s self to Christ will do for your life.
You will begin to value His call and His mission more than your own. If you were asked the same question, and you couldn’t answer “I would go…”, then you need to evaluate if you really have died to yourself.
This may be hard, but it is the most necessary step to beginning to live a life surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus and to share this hope that we have with others around the world who presently have no way to hear the gospel.
I hope brothers and sisters, that in the coming months you will be praying and seeing what God is calling you to. Don’t hesitate if He leads you to drop everything and to go abroad as a message bearer, or for that matter if He leads you to share with those around you locally.
That hesitation is a dedication to self, not to Christ. Please surrender to Christ with me, listen for His calling as I am right now, and if you find yourself called, GO!
