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If we are to come into the right relationship with God, the first thing we must learn is that our will must be broken to His will. To be broken is the beginning of revival. It is painful, it is humiliating, but it is the only way. It is being 'Not I, but Christ', and a 'C' is a bent 'I'. The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through us until the proud self within us is broken. This simply means that the hard, unyielding self, which justifies itself, wants its own way, stands up for its rights, and seeks its own glory, at last bows its head to God's will, admits that it is wrong, gives up its own glory in order that the Lord Jesus might have all and be all. In other words, it is dying to self and self-attitudes.
'I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me...' -- Gal 2:20
Being broken is both God's work, and ours. He brings His pressure to bear, but we have to make the choice. If we are really open to conviction as we seek fellowship with God, He will show us the expressions of this proud, hard self that cause Him pain. At this point we can either stiffen our necks and refuse to repent, or we can bow our heads and say, 'Yes, Lord.'
Brokenness in daily experience is simply a humble response to the conviction of God. Inasmuch as this conviction is continuous, we shall need to be broken continually. This can be very costly when we see all that this will involve -- the rights and selfish interests that will need to be given up and the confessions and restitutions that may also be necessary.
We are not likely to be broken except at the Cross of Jesus. The willingness of Jesus to be broken for you is the all-compelling motive for us to be broken too. We see Him, who is in the form God, counting not equality with God a prize to be grasped at and hung on to, but letting it go for us and taking upon Himself the from of a servant -- God's servant, man's servant. We see Him willing to have no rights of His own, no home of His own, no possessions of His own, willing for men to hurl their insults at Him and not retaliate, willing to let men tread on Him and not strike back or defend Himself. Above all, we see Him broken as He meekly goes to calvary to become men's scapegoat by bearing their sins in His own body on the tree. |
