Consecrated to the Father

"Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." Jn 17:17-19

In this Gospel reading Jesus is asking the Father to remain with us - with those of us who will be his followers here on this earth. He gives himself, he consecrates himself to the Father for our sake. He wants us to know truth. He wants us to know Love.

Jesus wants us to be one with the Holy Trinity. He consecrated himself to the Father, and in that he consecrates us to the Father as well. We must choose to consecrate ourselves - to give ourselves, our lives to the Father, and allow Jesus to work and move in our lives. When we give our lives to Christ, when we choose to be set apart because of our faith - we are then blessed to live in the glory of God's Love.

I was reflecting on this the other day, and was convicted to consecrate myself, once again to God, in my heart, in my quiet personal prayer, to proclaim Jesus as Lord of my life. I have done the Marian Consecration three or four times now, but for the first time since making that consecration - I felt convicted on my own accord, in my own timing to truly give myself to God. It was a really neat experience to simply be convicted to give my life to Christ again - so that I may be able to carry him into my daily tasks, in the work place, in the home, and wherever I may go.

Here's the little prayer I wrote during this time of prayer and reflection:

 Father, I consecrate myself to you. I give myself to you. Do with me what you will. I am yours. Make me a humble servant of your love. Amen.

I want to encourage you to continue to seek God each day, in some seek him so that he may flood your heart with his peace, fill it with his joy, and overflow with his love. In his time, he will convict you to give yourself entirely to him, but we must simply continue to seek him each day, and know that even in all our imperfections and flaws, he loves us still!