GLEANINGS FROM THE SCRIPTURES God Wants Our All By Keith L. Estes C.S. Lewis writes a reflection from his book The Joyful Christian Christ says " Give me all. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work; I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down....Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked the whole outfit. I will give you a new self. In fact, I will give you Myself my own will shall become yours." We must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder, in fact, it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. Let me share with you an anonymous poem entitled: And God Said, "No" I asked God to take away my pride and God said, "No." He said it was not for him to take away, but for me to give up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, " No." He said, "Her spirit is whole, her body is just temporary." I asked God to grant me patience. and God said, "No." He said patience is a by product of tribulation. it isn't granted, it's earned. I asked God to give me happiness He said he gives blessings; happiness is up to me. I asked God to spare my pain and God said, "No." He said, "Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me." I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said, "No." He said I must grow on my own, but he will prune me to make me fruitful. I asked God if he loved me, and God said, "Yes." He gave his only Son, who died for me, and I will be in heaven some day because I believe. I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me, and God said, "Ah, finally you have the idea." The apostle John says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Reference: 1 John 4:11 King James Version the Holy Bible. Return to Home Page Return to Current Edition Contact us