I want to share with you three things that I believe are involved in biblical consecration as seen in the Old Testament.

In Exodus 13:1,2, we see that God required all of Israel to consecrate their firstborn to Him because the firstborn “belongs to me” says the Lord. God had spared all of Israel’s firstborn when He executed judgment upon all of Egypt’s firstborn in the last of the ten plagues. In return, he said Israel’s first born would now belong to Him. They were his property. As a kid, I loved the Dallas Cowboys. I would wear a shirt that said “Property of the Dallas Cowboys.” As Christians, we are “property of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To be consecrated to Him means that you realize that your life belongs to Him. W.T. Richardson said, “The mark of a saint is not perfection, but consecration. A saint is not a man (or woman) without faults, but a man who has given himself without reserve to God.” Have you settled the ownership issue in your life? Do you belong to God?

Another aspect of consecration is cleansing and purification. Before God revealed Himself in the sight of all Israel at Mt. Sinai, the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them … Have them wash their clothes.” The washing of their clothes was an act of cleansing and purity. It was an outward sign of their inward need of cleansing. All of us need God’s cleansing from sin in our lives. If you are ever going to really move forward and make deep advances in your spiritual life with God, you must deal with your sin – with selfishness, pride, lust, greed, etc. We must move forward in personal holiness. We cannot have God on our own terms without being willing to forsake our sin. We must confess it, turn from it and let him cleanse us. This is part of true consecration.

Last of all, consecration deals with being set apart for God’s service. The Old Testament priest were anointed and consecrated to be set apart for service to the Lord. We are to be consecrated to God’s service for the sake of others. You are really starting to understand the nature of Christianity when you have a true desire to be used of God in the lives of others. The consecrated life says, “Use me Lord. I belong to you. Let me a blessing to others.”

Consecrate yourselves (to the Lord) for… you will see the Lord do amazing things among you.” Are you ready? Or are you holding back? Let go and let God in 2018. And that’s the Word.

The Rev. David Yarborough is pastor of St. Simons Community Church. Contact him at david@