I am His

I am His

God, my Father, started my year with the message: You are Mine.

Since we started our walk with God many many years ago at Oyster Bay my song, taken from Song of Songs, I sang to the Lord went like this:

He is mine, and I am His ( 2:16)

I am His, and He is mine ( 6:3)

I am His, and His desire is towards me ( 8:10)

This year my Beloved overwhelms me with message upon message delivered to me in one week.

• First in Hannah Whitall Smith's book, The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life. The chapter deals with total commitment. Just one single sentence brought a world of joy leaping in my heart. She says we need to look at the sacrifices of the Old Testament to understand our consecration to God. The animal which is sacrificed is not holy; can never be holy. As soon as it is placed on the altar, it is holy ― consecrated to God; placed aside for Him; His.

I t is the same when we are placed in Christ. He is the altar. He consecrates me ―puts me aside for God.

Since I was saved, I was consumed with sanctification; did I strive to be sanctified: do, do, do, do, ad infinitum! When we came to the Cross, however, it dawned on me that I am a new creation, totally new. Already sanctified. Yet, the striving seemed to remain to a certain degree.

But now it is written on my heart: I am His! Consecrated to be His; only His.

But my Beloved was not finished yet.

• The Holy Spirit lead me to read an article in a Christian magazine, Prepare the Way: I am My Beloved's and He is Mine by George Müller. His Scripture verse is Song of Songs 4:12-16. Verse 4 says: "A garden enclosed and barred is my sister, my [promised ] bride― a spring shut up, a fountain sealed."( Amplified Bible)

When a garden is enclosed, there is not only a wall around it, but there is also a gate which is locked (the Hebrew word means barred).

In other words, this garden is there only for the pleasure of the owner.

He will decide who shall enter.

He will decide who shall enjoy His fruit, flowers, herbs and spices.

Not even I myself can decide who, when, and how. Only He will determine that, because I am His.

What a relief.

I no longer worry about "outreach," "touching someone's heart," "serving," "love," "minister to," "being a witness."

My job is to remain in Him, and allow Him to cultivate, nurture, tend , and ENJOY His garden.

The rest is His prerogative. Blissful surrender!

With the message of the closed, barred garden, the spring shut up, a fountain sealed, He puts an exclamation mark after the message He wants to bring home: "You are Mine! You are Mine alone!"

The living waters are His to let gush forth as He pleases.

But the Closed fountain is also not a public place any more for people and wild animals to come trample underfoot what belongs to Him (Ez 34:18;32:13)

If I allow what people says about me, be it I thoughts, action or words, to affect me, I am allowing them to come past the Gate (or over the wall) to come and pollute His water.

All these are just a commotion outside the gate. The water cannot be polluted again.

• The third reenforcement of my message from my Beloved was from a book by Henry Nowen, Reaching Out.

For a long time I thought it was lost, but suddenly in these days I found it, and my Beloved talked to me again!

Through a very bad accident in which he was seriously injured, Henry came to the understanding of a God with unending love. From out of this place he could live and be the person God ordained him to be.

"The great spiritual task facing me is to so fully trust that I belong to God that I can be free in the world — free to speak even when my words are not received; free to act even when my actions are criticized, ridiculed or considered useless; free also to receive love from people, and to be grateful for all the signs of God's presence in the world. I am convinced that I will truly be able to love the world when I fully believe that I am loved beyond its boundaries.

I understand now that 'making known' is not primarily a question of words, arguments, language and methods. What is at stake here is a way of being in the truth that tries less to persuade, than to demonstrate. It is the way of witness."

And now the Spirit is busy teaching me. It is one thing to receive these things. Now the Spirit is working these things into my heart whilst the commotion is still going on outside the gate. Torrents of messages from the enemy saying:"You are a failure!"

But clear above the noise I hear : "You are Mine!"

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Ek is Syne

Hierdie jaar het Vader my jaar begin met die boodskap: Jy is Myne.

Van Oesterbaai af al sing ek my lied:

Hy is myne, en ek is Syne( Hooglied 2:16)

Ek is Syne en Hy is myne( Hooglied 6:3)

Ek is Syne en Sy begeerte is na my.(8:10)

Hierdie jaar oorval my Geliefde my met boodskap op boodskap wat binne een week aan my afgelewer word.

Eers is daar in Hannah Whitall Smith se boekie, The Christian's Secret to Happiness.Die hoofstuk handel met totale oorgawe. Net een sinnetjie het 'n hele wêreld van vreugde vir my laat oopgaan. Sy sê ons moet na die offerhandes van die Ou Testament kyk om ons toegewydheid ("consecration") aan God te verstaan Die dier wat geoffer word is nie heilig nie; kan nooit heilig wees nie. Sodra dit op die altaar geplaas word, is dit heilig— toegewy aan God; eenkant gesit vir Hom, Syne. Net so is dit wanneer ons in Christus geplaas is. Hý is die altaar. Hý heilig my— sit my eenkant vir God.

Van ek "gered" is STREEF ek na heiligmaking: doen, doen,nie-doen-nie,doen, ad in finitum! Nadatt ons by die Kruis uitgekom het, het dit tot my begrip deurgedring dat ek totaal en al 'n nuwe skepsel IS. Klaar heilg. Tog het die strewe tot 'n mate gebly.

Maar nóu is dit op my hart geskryf.Ek is Syne, afgesonder vir Hom alleen.

Maar my Geliefde is nog nie klaar nie.

Die Heilige Gees laat my weer 'n artikel lees in Prepare the way: I am my Beloved's and He is mine. Die skrywer is Müller. Hy gebruik Hooglied 4:12-16:My beminde is 'n geslote tuin, 'n bron wat afgekamp is, 'n geslote fontein ( My eie vertaling deur kombinasies van verskillende vertalings)

Wanneer 'n tuin gesluit is, is daar nie alleen 'n muur om nie, maar die hek is gegrendel( Hebreeus).Hierdie tuin is m.a.w net daar vir die Eienaar. Hý sal besluit wie kan van Sy vrugte, blomme, en kruie geniet. Niemand, nie eers ek self, kan bepaal hoe,wie,waar en wanneer nie. Net Hy sal dit bepaal, want ek is Syne.

Wat 'n verligting. Ek bekommer my nie meer oor"uitreik","liefhê, "bedien", "getuie wees" nie. My werk is om ín Hom te bly en Hom toe telaat om Sy tuin te bewerk en te GENIET. Die res sal Hy doen. Salige oorgawe!

Met die beeld van geslote bron en verseëlde fontein plaas Hy uitroeptekens agter die boodskap wat Hy wil tuis bring: JY IS Myne!

Dié lewende water is Syne om te laat stroom soos Hy wil en wanneer Hy wil.

Maar ook is die fontein nie meer 'n openbare plek vir mense en wilde diere om te kom vertrap en bemodder nie ( Ez 34:18;32:13)

As ek toelaat dat dít wat mense oor my sê , hetsy deur hulle gedagtes oor my, hulle uitsprake oor my, of hoe hulle my behandel, laat ek toe dat hulle by die Hek verbykom en die water kom besoedel.

Alles wat gebeur is 'n gedoente buite die hek. Die water kan nie meer besoedel word nie.

Lankal al soek ek na my boekie deur Henry Nouwen,Reaching Out, in my boekrakkie. Skielik kry ek hom en my Geliefde praat met my.

Deur 'n ernstige ongeluk kom Nouwen tot 'n besef van God se oneindige liefde. Dit is nie ál nie. Hy kom tot die besef van die plek vanwáár hy moet leef. Vanuit hierdie plek kan hy leef en die persoon wees wat God hom bestem het om te wees.

The great spiritual task facing me is to so fully trust that I belong to God that I can be free in the world — free to speak even when my words are not received; free to act even when my actions are criticized, ridiculed or considered useless; free also to receive love from people, and to be grateful for all the signs of God's presence in the world. I am convinced that I will truly be able to love the world when I fully believe that I am loved beyond its boundaries.

I understand now that "making known" is not primarily a question of words, arguments, language and methods. What is at stake here is a way of being in the truth that tries less to persuade, than to demonstrate. It is the way of witness.

En nou is Die Gees besig om my te leer . Dit is een ding om hierdie dinge te ontvang. Nou werk die Gees dit in my hart in deur ervaring heen te midde van woelinge buite die hek, stortvloede van boodskappe:"Jy is 'n mislukking". Maar bokant dit alles uit hoor ek: Jy is Myne.