Romans 6:11,13,14 “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus… Offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness… because you are not under law, but under grace.”
John Wesley went as a missionary to America before he was converted. He didn’t understand the above verses (indeed much of Romans), and so he ended up returning to England feeling completely discouraged and defeated. It was in his broken state in Oxford that he described his heart as being ‘strangely warmed’ as he came to understand more how Christ’s sacrifice on the cross brought us life in him. The Founder on Methodism was one of the most influential men of the eighteenth century and beyond, and he called on his people to embrace the following as a ‘Covenant Prayer’:
“I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will,
Rank me with whoever You will.
Put me to doing.
Put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for You,
Or laid aside for You.
Exalted for You, or brought low for You.
Let me be full
Let me be empty.
Let me have all things,
Let me have nothing!
And now, O Father,
You are mine and I am Yours. So be it.
And the covenant I am making on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
Why not re-read the covenant and try to say ‘Amen’ after each line? Some lines might be easier than others. Will you make it your own? What is holding you back? Bring those areas, concerns, fears, or idols to the Lord today.
Lord, the above covenant is so deeply challenging. In my spirit I know it’s right to pray. Help me get to the place of making it my own and living it out. Amen!
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