103. What is meant by the consecration? How often should a person consecrate himself?

What is meant by the consecration? How often should a person consecrate himself? In modern use (which, by the way, is not the Bible use) the word “consecration” means the surrendering of ones self and all that one has wholly to God. The word “sanctify” as used in the Bible has practically the same meaning when applied to sanctifying ourselves. It means to set apart for God.

Every Christian should consecrate himself once for all to God. He should put into God’s hands all that he is and all that he has, for God to use him and his as He will, to send him where He will and do with him what He will. Having thus consecrated himself he should never take himself out of God’s hands. But many do consecrate themselves to God and afterward go back on their consecration, as Samson did, and are shorn of their strength, as Samson was. In such a case a man should reconsecrate himself to God, and even where a man has not taken back his consecration it is a good thing to constantly reacknowledge it in order that one may keep it distinctly in mind.

Furthermore, consecration gets a deeper significance the longer we live. At one time of our life we may give ourselves up wholly to God as far as we understand it at the time, but as we study the Word and grow in grace consecration will ever gain a deeper meaning. I believe I have been wholly God’s for many years, but only yesterday I got a deeper understanding of what it means to be wholly God’s than I have ever had before.