Consecration
Consecrate
“to devote or dedicate to some purpose”
If life is path to travel on, then there are twists, turns, dead ends, and unexpected gems along the way. It’s easy to feel lost—and maybe even get lost—when trying to follow an itinerary.
Consecrating yourself to God gives you purpose. It means you are never without purpose on your life’s path. You become devoted to viewing your purpose through the lens of Jesus, not the lens of emotional baggage. You, essentially, become dedicated to the purpose of God: mercy, grace, compassion.
James 5:11b (ESV) says that “you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” The consecration of our lives adjusts our purpose to match that of God’s. And we all fulfill that purpose in a unique way through special skills and strengths.
In a lot of ways, we tend to parallel our purpose with other areas of our lives. I’m guilty of trying to fit my purpose into the box of a career. Every time I do that, I feel lost with who I am and what I am supposed to be doing.
A wise man recently referred me to the example of Elijah. God told Elijah to go east and hide, that He would provide water from the brook and food from the ravens (1 Kings 17:2-6).
God’s provision shows up wherever He guides us.
But we have to be obedient to go where He says to go. In that obedience, we find unmatched purpose.
God will never leave us aimless. Psalm 119:105 (NLT) makes that point clear: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” I’ve always seen God come through for me. In hindsight, I always wonder why I even worried, questioned, or doubted in the moment that demanded my faith. I have found that obedience begets purpose, even in seasons of feeling purposeless.
There are special projects, lives to impact, and remarkable cravings placed inside of us by God. Those corners of our hearts shouldn’t be suppressed nor neglected. They exist for a reason. And that reason is unfolded before us as we obey.
The Bible says that “Elijah did as the Lord told him” (1 Kings 17:5a NLT). Again, after that instance, “the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go and live in the village of Zarephath’” and “So he went to Zarephath” (1 Kings 17:8,9,&10 NLT). His obedience to God impacted not just his life, but the lives of those around him. A woman and her son were provided for and spared from death, all because Elijah obeyed.
Consecration, in many ways, is an act of obedience. Trusting God for daily purpose is part of the relationship. With significance, that impacts the people in our worlds, the ones that only we can reach. I don’t even want to think about all the people that missed out from the times I’ve hesitated to obey. God can redeem that time, but I want to live my life in a way that He doesn’t have to. You can too.
Your purpose is boundless.
5 Verse Study
[For it is He] Who delivered and saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy and leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].
2 Timothy 1:9 AMPC
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105 NLT
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
Psalm 57:2 NLT
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. I’m consecrating myself for their sakes, so they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
John 17:17-19 MSG