Learning the Art of Losing Myself in Bringing Him Praise

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:28-29 NLT)

Sanctification is the hardest part of this thing we call “the Christian life”. To be very clear - God doesn’t make it hard. It’s hard because I make it that way!

When I was oblivious to my sin, when I lived and walked in darkness, only God’s divine intervention could pull me out and give me the desire to seek Him. He dealt with my salvation on the cross when I was still His enemy, and I worship Him forever for justifying me, declaring me righteous in Christ at the moment I believed.

But He didn’t stop there–the Scripture above makes very clear that He has determined that I will be transformed into the image of Christ. And He has determined that this transformation, this sanctification, will be a process, one that will take the rest of my life until I see Him face to face.

And that’s where it gets hard. Because He asks me to cooperate with Him in the process of making me more like Jesus, sometimes really hard decisions are involved. Daily choices abound: to live for myself or for Him; to be selfish or lay down my life for another person; to give up my right to be in control and surrender to Him; to take Him at His word and trust Him or walk in doubt and fear; to obey Him or do what is right in my own eyes.

These daily choices amount to constantly choosing to die to self – to lose myself in His bigger plan. I’m convinced that one of the reasons sanctification is a process rather than instantaneous, and that God asks for our cooperation rather than just making it happen, is that an inside-out change demonstrates Jesus to the world in ways that an outside-in change never could. God has given the church the mission of reflecting Jesus to the world – and the personal process of sanctification in the lives of each believer makes that possible in a way that completely puts the emphasis on God’s gracious work in our lives.

If God were to make me perfectly obedient, but I had no choice of cooperation in the matter, the “witness” would become my outward obedience. However, if God changes me from the INSIDE OUT – increasingly unveiling the new heart He gave me at salvation, a heart that miraculously wants to cooperate with Him in making me like Jesus – then the “witness” becomes His miraculous ability to change hearts. And in this increasingly cynical world, who doesn’t need to know that God can change hearts?

Sometimes when God is teaching me a “big-picture” lesson like this, He uses a song to draw together biblical truths and bring clarity to my thinking. The first time I heard Hillsong’s “From the Inside Out” (video and lyrics below) I was captivated by the line, “the art of losing myself in bringing You praise.” Often since that time I’ve asked God to teach me that art. Over the years I’ve come to understand that “losing myself” isn’t self-loathing or debasement or striking a martyr’s pose as I explain that surely God must be glorified today because I’m so miserable. No, “losing myself” is simply another way of saying what Paul said to Corinth: “I die daily.” It’s choosing to cooperate with God in the process of sanctification, so He can make me like Jesus and the world can see the transformation not from the outside in, but wonder of wonders, from the inside out. He’s given this sinner a new heart that wants to follow Him, transforming me continually along the way.

I don’t always cooperate fully. I fail in thousands of ways. But part of the miracle of salvation is that grace is not just for salvation, but for sanctification. Because when I stumble, I’m caught in His grace. It’s the ground on which I stand. May I increasingly surrender quickly, to become a better reflection of Jesus to those who don’t know Him. And may we pray for each other when that process gets a bit challenging!

FROM THE INSIDE OUT (HILLSONG)

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart, my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out

My Soul cries out to You
My Soul cries out to You
to You, to You

My heart, my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
From the inside out, O my soul cries out