Title: Getting Off the Fence/ Topic: Consecration

Today’s Reading: Job 15; Acts 19; Acts 20

Scripture: Acts 19:17-20
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (emphasis added)

Observation: Consecration involves setting ourselves apart for holy uses only; to dedicate ourselves to be used by God and allowing no polluting influences to dilute our holiness. Here we see an example of what it takes to do that. Verse 18 states that many people who had believed in the Lord continued to be involved in compromising sin. They came and confessed their sin first, then took action to rid themselves of polluting influences. It cost them financially. The value of the scrolls on sorcery that they burned was so significant that it is mentioned in the text. They burned them as an act of consecration, ridding themselves of anything that would cause them to compromise or be drawn aside from the Lord.

Application: As Christians, we need to seriously consider how the lesson from this portion of scripture affects us. Are we consecrating our lives as we should? Do we watch on TV or computer things that compromise our holiness and the purity of our thought life? Do we listen to music or radio that does the same? How much time do we spend in playing computer or game cube games that aren't edifying? Could it be that one of the big reasons so many Christians struggle with having a passion for God and spiritual pursuits is that they allow influences from these different sources in a "mindless" way without thinking about the consequences to their spiritual life? It's easy to justify our habits and activities. But I think we need to prayerfully take stock of our lives and answer these questions honestly, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and respond accordingly. If we don't, we may find ourselves a part of the prohecy that Jesus stated would be the case in the end times that "the love of most will grow cold"(Matt. 24:12). And Jesus is speaking of believers in that verse, not unbelievers.

Prayer: Father, I know I need to take stock of what I'm allowing my mind to think on and what I do with my time. I know I really enjoy some TV shows that are clearly "guilty pleasures". My enjoyment of them doesn't make them harmless to me and I simply can't justify them on any scriptural basis. I need to love you more than I love them and give them up if they have no positive benefit to my life. This will not be easy for me but I pray for your strength to do the right thing.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.