What Does Lordship Really Mean?
What a challenge! It is not a commitment made once, but every day in every decision. Lordship is allowing God to have total control of everything. Frankly...It is a commitment that frightens many because it involves control. God cannot, and will not be Lord 'part of the time' or 'Lord of the major areas of our life'. He must be Lord of all.
I have wondered why Lordship is so hard for some. Since God is omniscient, that is He is all-knowing, and He loves me and will never do anything to harm me, why am I so hesitant to give Him total control? I believe the biggest reason is because we are afraid God will ask us to do something or give up something and the thing He give us in return will be less than what we gave up. We are telling God, "What I have now is better than what You want to give me. Sorry." I ran across a writing in the book Laughter in the Walls by Bob Benson. It's called "Sunday School Picnic."
Do you remember when they had old fashioned Sunday School picnics? It was before air
conditioning. They said: "We'll meet at Sycamore Lodge in Shelby Park at 4:30 Saturday. You
bring your supper and we'll furnish the tea." But you came home at the last minute and when you
got ready to pack your lunch, all you could find in the refrigerator was one dried up piece of
baloney and just enough mustard in the bottom of the jar so that you go it all over your knuckles
trying to get it. And there was just two pieces of stale bread. So you made your baloney sandwich
and wrapped it in some brown bag and went to the picnic. When it came time to eat you sat at the
end of the table and spread out your sandwich. But folks next to you -- the lady was a good cook
and she had worked all day and she had fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, homemade rolls,
sliced tomatoes, pickles, olives, celery and two big, homemade chocolate pies. And they spread it
all out beside you and there you were with your baloney sandwich. But they said to you: "Why
don't we put it all together?" "No, I couldn't even think of it," you murmured. "Oh, come on,
there's plenty of chicken and plenty of pie and plenty of everything -- and we just love baloney
sandwiches. Let's just put it all together." And do you did and there you sat -- eating like a king when you came like a pauper. And I get to
thinking-- I think of me 'sharing in the very being of God.' When I think of how little I bring, and
how much He brings and that He invites me to 'share', I know I should be shouting on the
housetops, but I am so filled with awe and wonder that I can hardly be heard. I know you don't
have enough love and faith, or grace, or mercy or wisdom. But He has -- He has all those things in
abundance and says, "Let's just put it all together. Everything that I possess is available to you."
When I think about it like that, it really amazes me to see somebody running along through life
hanging on to their dumb bag with that stale baloney sandwich saying, "God's not going to get my
sandwich! No, siree, this is mine!" Did you ever see anybody like that -- so needy --just about half
-starved to death, hanging on for dear life? It's not that God needs your baloney sandwich. The fact
is, you need His chicken.
We certainly are silly people. We cling to that thing we feel is so very important, while missing out on the best God has. God asks us to give Him everything and when we do in faith, He holds open His hands and says: "Here, take anything you need from Me." BUT FIRST we have to give him EVERYTHING. What He gives in return is infinitely greater than what we give Him. After all, as Bob Benson so beautifully writes, all we have is a stale baloney sandwich. Our maintaining control of our life is like us clutching a stale baloney sandwich, hoarding it all ourselves; when God invites us to come and enjoy all that the Infinite, Almighty, Loving God has in His possession.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Charles
