“Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek,
Give what is best.
This all my prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!” – More Love to Thee, O Christ by Elizabeth Prentiss
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to meditate in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4
More love to Christ Jesus. Seek after Christ Jesus. Gaze upon, meditate upon Christ Jesus.
“When I survey the wondrous Cross…
My richest gain I count by loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!” – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts
When we look away from ourselves, away from our circumstances, away from our situations, and look to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, considering Him who endured from sinners such hostility, we will find perfect peace and rest. (Hebrews 12:2-3; Like A River Glorious by Frances Havergal)
“And from my smitten heart, with tears,
Two wonders I confess:
The wonders of redeeming love
And my unworthiness.
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory all the Cross.” – Beneath the Cross of Jesus by Elizabeth C. Clephane
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. … No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. … You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” – Matthew 6:33, 21, 24; 22:37
Why am I weary, anxious, disheartened, discouraged, restless? Why do I feel crushed, driven to despair, forsaken, destroyed?
Because God has bought me with price. He is my master. I am not my own. He is a jealous God. He will not give His glory to another. He is my Father. He disciplines those He loves. He cares for me. (I Corinthians 6:20; Exodus 20:5; Isaiah 42:8; Hebrews 12:5-11; I Peter 5:7)
God cares for me so much that He is willing to hurt my feelings, to make me uncomfortable, and to break down my self-esteem, so that I will wake up and remember Whose I am, and what He redeemed me from.
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” I Peter 4:19 Christ Jesus left me an example to follow in His steps. “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.” I Peter 2:21, 23
Not only are we to entrust ourselves to our kind and loving Father, but we are commanded not to revile or threaten. I've often only thought of the 'reviling and threatening' being against flesh and blood, but am ashamed to see now how I have reviled and threatened God Himself.
We are commanded to do the opposite, that which certainly does not come naturally/from the flesh: do good. "entrusting their souls...while doing good."
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:8-9
“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” II Thessalonians 3:13
I’ve found that the times when I am most weary of doing good, the times when I’m crumbled up on the kitchen floor crying ‘Why keep on?! Why care so much?! You are torturing yourself, stressing your already over-stressed body and mind out! Just be kind to yourself, and give yourself ‘grace’ – no one is perfect. It’s okay, it is right to do what is best for you, take care of yourself, and quit or at least take a break. Everyone else is.’ are the times I am trying to serve two masters, treasuring the things of earth, and confident in my own worth.
It is in those broken, ugly moments that I see the two nail pierced feet, two nail pierced hands of the One sitting beside me, gathering me into Himself, whispering, “I know. I see. I hear.” And then my heart feels the blessed growing pains of more love to Thee, and I remember that He is fitting me for eternal glory, for dwelling in God’s holy presence. The process of being made fit for heaven is painful, ugly, and far from glamorous.
“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” I Thessalonians 5:24
‘This is my earnest plea, this all my prayer shall be, this still its prayer shall be:
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee!’
- Soli Deo gloria
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