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Earlier this year I was talking with a friend who admitted that he had never fully entered into a contract with God. In fact, what he specifically said was that he couldn’t say that he had ever fully surrendered everything to the Lord Jesus.
My hunch is that many who call themselves Christians like my friend, have never fully surrendered to the Lord. Perhaps they’ve been Christians for decades and faithfully attend church and sing the great old hymn, “I Surrender All.” But down deep, when push comes to shove, they have to admit that they’re holding back a part or many parts of their lives.
One of the most outstanding Christian leaders of our generation was Bill Bright, founder of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). He was certainly one of the people most used by God in our time. It is estimated that 139 million people around the world know Christ because of the impact of his ministry.
Why was Bill Bright so used by God? A big part of the reason, according to his own account, is that he made a “contract with God” in which he surrendered everything he was and had to be slave of the Lord.
He literally, along with his wife Vonette, wrote out and signed a contract with God, surrendering everything to Christ. This didn’t mean he took a vow of poverty, but that he was willing to bewhatever and do whatever God wanted.
The contract went something like this:
From this day, Lord, we surrender and relinquish all of our past, present, and future rights and material possessions to you. As an act of the will, by faith, we choose to become Your bondslaves and do whatever You want us to do, go wherever You want us to go, say whatever You want us to say, no matter what it costs, for the rest of our lives. With Your help, we will never again seek the praise or applause of men or the material wealth of the world.
When I read about this contract with God in the biography Amazing Faith: The Authorized Biography of Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, I was inspired to write my own contract and sign it. I’m really glad I did!
Bill Bright said that his contract was “the anchor of our marriage. It’s the greatest decision that we have ever made. It was a total, absolute, irrevocable commitment to the Lordship of Christ.”
A few nights after creating his contract, God spoke to Bright and gave him a life-changing vision for the world. The next morning, he told one of his seminary professors, Wilbur Smith, about the vision. “This is of God, this is of God,” he said. A day later he handed Bill a piece of paper and said, “God gave me the name for your vision.” On the paper was written “CCC” and the name, “Campus Crusade for Christ.”
As they say, “the rest is history.” That ministry grew to over 20,000 staff members and has reached over a billion people with the Gospel.
Do you want to be used greatly by God? Are you tired of working for things that “moth and rust corrupt” (Matthew 6:19) and won’t last for eternity?
I encourage you to make your own contract with God, as I did after inspired by the Brights story.
Here’s the contract I wrote a few years ago. You can use it as a template for your own contract.
Mark Williams’ Contract with God I give myself wholly to You God, a living sacrifice, a bondservant, a slave to be used however You want Lord.
With your help, I will crawl back up on the altar every time I slip down.
The world has yet to see what can be accomplished by a person wholly devoted to God, but I endeavor to be that person.
I know that in giving everything, I gain everything.
Signed: Mark Alan Williams 5/10/2010 Tokyo
Why make a contract with God? Here’s what the Bible says about surrender:
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1 ESV)
“Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16 ESV)
“And he [Jesus] said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23 ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20 ESV)
Will you make a contract with God today?
And if you have never received God’s gift of salvation through Christ, click HERE to learn how to do so.
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