Will and Heart - Real Consecration - Sealed Orders Part 3

This is one in a series of posts, sharing the Sealed Orders devotions, day by day, from CMI 2010.  They are based on the "Consecration Hymn," Salvation Army Songbook #525

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In the epic movie “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy and her three friends are escorted into the presence of the Wizard.  The sight of his bodiless head terrifies the group, with eerie smoke and geysers of flame shooting out in front of it.

[Spoiler Alert] On a later trip to the Wizard, they discover a man behind a curtain who is controlling the “Wizard,” which amounts to no more than a projected image of a head and mechanical tricks meant to scare and intimidate.

Then, the real Wizard is discovered.  They find that the smoke, flames and head really don’t move on their own.  They are controlled by the man behind the curtain.

Many believe that our will and our spiritual heart are the same thing – they are the center of who we are as people.  The will is the center of decision-making, and the heart is the throne on which the one who controls it sits.

Until my heart is consecrated to God, I am the one sitting on the throne of my heart.  I call the shots, and every decision I make centers around me.  While we might send some smoke to distract from this fact, the reality is that we are in it for ourselves.
   
When we sing, “Take my will, . . . It shall be no longer mine,” we invite God himself to sit on our heart’s throne.  We are no longer calling the shots, but God is.

When we sing, “Take my heart, . . . It shall be thy royal throne,” we ask God to extend His kingdom into our lives.

It doesn’t mean that we no longer make choices – we still have a day-to-day, moment-by-moment decision to do what God wants us to do.  But now we make our choices with God’s help.

Today is Sunday and we are about to enter worship.  Use this time to consider who is on the throne of your heart.  Is it you or Jesus? 

The song’s fifth verse talks about consecrating your will and heart.  Make it your prayer during these quiet moments as you prepare for worship.