Sunday 24 February 2013


Are you Willing to Give Up?

“I’ve got my rights!” We’ve all said something like that at one time or another. Our rights are important to us. It means, we deserve consideration and respect. We feel discontented and angry when our rights are denied. Like it or not, we must be willing to give up our rights. It may be legitimate to possess certain items, hold certain positions, or aspire certain benefits. But we must be willing to give up our rights for Jesus’ sake, even as He gave up His rights when He became a man (see Philippians 2: 6-7).
We can follow the pattern Jesus showed us in yielding our rights to God. We are not our own; we are under God’s mercy. All that belongs to us were given to us. We are stewards of all that is in our possession, including our good environment, training and health. There is nothing wrong therefore in yielding our rights to God. Most quarrels result from someone violating someone’s rights. If we hold onto our rights too tightly, we will be creating more tension and subsequent quarrels.
Consider a typical home and family. The father, mother, children and others in the household will all have personal rights. If each one of them holds tightly to his or her rights, there is bound to be some violation. The result will be quarrels, misunderstandings, and general disturbance of the family atmosphere. There will be more enemies in the family than loved ones! But if the members of the family are willing to give up their personal rights, they can then afford to be flexible and open to compromise.
The bottom line is this: we really do not lose anything when we surrender our rights to God. We read in the Bible how Abraham laid his beloved son, Isaac, on the altar. Abraham had every right to argue his case when he was asked to perform such a painful task. It is very difficult to place something you really love on the altar of sacrifice. There will be a lot of struggle in your mind as you try to decide whether what you are doing is right and proper. But we know that in the case of Abraham, he trusted God fully.
When we yield our rights fully trusting, we can relax over what feels like a loss. God is interested in meeting our needs, and so there is no need to worry. In the case of Abraham, God gave Isaac back to him with greater blessings (see Genesis 22:10-12). Likewise, God gives us back our privileges when we yield our rights to Him.

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