The Paradox of the Abandoned Life

Religion

He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39 NAS)

I recently read an illustration that was interesting. It made me think of a simple principle that we sometimes overlook, read below:

Suppose you made a fresh pot of coffee, took your favorite cup from the cabinet, then turned to pour your coffee and noticed that it was full of hot tea? You really didn’t want tea, nor did you especially enjoy drinking tea. Then you laid out a fresh, clean cereal bowl and proceeded to prepare oatmeal. When it was ready you turned to pour in the oatmeal and to your surprise the bowl was full of corn flakes. In your frustration and confusion you wonder why these two containers insist on filling themselves with things you don’t like or want.

I know the above scenario sounds like a bad dream or a Twilight Zone moment, but it’s really a picture of how most of us run our spiritual lives. We are saved by Grace but live our lives believing performance will get us close to God..The underlying principal of Grace is emptiness. The law was given to not only show us our sin and shortcomings but to also frustrate us in the pursuit of our own righteousness.

Jesus said, “I can do nothing of my own self”. Jesus had to empty himself and recognize that Jesus the human carpenter has nothing in him that could raise the dead, heal the sick or turn the water into wine. He said, “It is the Father dwelling in Me who is doing His work”. Jesus was the emptiest vessel to ever appear on earth, having “emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant”. Jesus was filled with the Father and became the full expression of all that the Father wanted to do through Him, even being obedient unto death.

How does that relate to us? Being schooled in legalism, my approach to the Christian life was, “Lord forgive me for being weak, I will try to do better. I will go to church more, pray more, fast more often, and I will never miss visitation again”,

I was a picture if a an empty cup trying to fill itself. Sound familiar? We must come to the place Jesus came to – “I can do nothing of myself.” We must stop trying to make this body do something. We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. Our self-effort can only produce self-righteousness.

Waiting on God to move to fill my cup is the most difficult challenge I face. Those who know me best know that my flesh pattern is a doer, so I am speaking from experience. Faithfulness to God is not measured by how much you do for Him but how obedient you are to Him.

Several years ago when I began conducting the Exchanged Life Conferences I heavily marketed my conference. I did the mailing list thing, made phone calls to pastors and generally networked conference dates. My calendar was full but the conference result was empty. Yes, I did receive a few, ‘that’s great stuff’, and “everyone needs to hear this message’, and I even received some very generous and needed love offerings. But the touch of God was missing. Then one day I made a decision, that for a season, I was not going to solicit conference dates. I emptied my cup and surrendered my rights and expectations of ever doing a conference again. I said,”Lord, if I ever do a conference again, it will have to be your doings. I am tired and without you I can do nothing”.

I will admit there were weeks that I longed to be in a church presenting the truths that changed my life but i was determined to let God fill my cup. It wasn’t long that calls began to come into the office and once again I was conducting conferences. But something was different. Each conference began to contain ‘God moments’. I sensed God’s touch and anointing and would often weep during the presentation. I am sure that some thought that I was just being passionate about what I was teaching, and to a certain extent I was, but the tears were a result of being overwhelmed by God’s presence and power. God was blessing what He had put together.

Could God have moved and blessed in a conference that I had gotten through my marketing efforts? Sure, but the point is – for me at that moment in my life God needed to show me that I must depend on Him for everything. He desired to show me that He can do wonderful things through me if I am willing to wholly abandon my life to Him.

Your see, it is not God who has left or gone away from you. He hasn’t deserted you. He is just making it clear that emptiness is necessary to your peace and contentment. He is setting you on the table as an empty cup. He has a pot of fresh coffee to fill you at His pleasure and good will. He is saying, “Don’t dare try to fill yourself with tea”.

Have you ever felt inadequate and insecure? How about weak and defeated? Often that is the place the Father wants us to be – a sense of nothingness. When we see our weakness and fruitlessness, how tempting it is to try to sort it out ourselves.

We must see our self-defeat and failure as a revelation of our emptiness and with this revelation don’t try to change yourself. But rather rejoice and be glad that you are an empty vessel. Be glad for this time of affliction, this time of frustration. For when you accept yourself as an empty vessel there is a promise waiting – ‘you shall be filled…I am He that fills you”.

Madame Guyon, in addressing the issue of abandonment, says, “Remember, you must never blame man for anything. No matter what happens, it was neither man nor circumstances that brought it. You must accept everything (except, of course, your own sinfulness) as having come from the Lord. ”

Therein lies the paradox. The unsurrendered and unabandoned life is directly opposite to His life that is in you. Be empty that you might be filled.

Back to Top