More Than These -

More – As I have noted in previous editions of this page, I have been reading Robinson Crusoe. The following excerpt comes from him writing about his prayers for deliverance.

Now I began to construe the words mentioned above, “Call on Me, and I will deliver you,” in a different sense from what I had ever done before; for then I had no notion of anything being called deliverance but my being delivered from the captivity I was in; for though I was indeed at large in the place, yet the island was certainly a prison to me, and that in the worst sense in the world. But now I learned to take it in another sense; now I looked back upon my past life with such horror, and my sins appeared so dreadful, that my soul sought nothing of God but deliverance from the load of guilt that bore down all my comfort. As for my solitary life, it was nothing; I did not so much as pray to be delivered from it, or think of it; it was all of no consideration, in comparison to this. And I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true sense of things, they will find deliverance from sin a much greater blessing than deliverance from affliction.

How often we have prayed for our light affliction to be removed. We have a stomach ache. We find ourselves in the midst of difficult financial circumstances. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. We’re bored. “GOD SAVE ME FROM THIS,” we cry. Yet, we fail to seek deliverance from that which really afflicts us most of all, our own guilt.

We seek comfort more than deliverance. “Do you love me more than these?” Jesus asks. Yes, we love him more than suffering! But, do we love him more than the deliverance from suffering? Now there’s a question to ponder! What would you give up, if you had to give up anything, to secure your salvation? We know the answer we should give; ANYTHING! EVERYTHING!

Actually, Christ demands we give up very little – only the guilt and the shame that we seem to hold onto with more passion than we seek to be delivered from it. To most of us Jesus says, “You can keep the house, the car, the investment funds, the career. . .The only thing I’m interested in is you. Give me yourself. Do you love Me more than yourself?”

Pastor Craig