What does it mean to be consumed?
The word "consume" has a lot of definitions, but in the way that I am referring to it, it is defined as: (of a feeling) absorb all of the attention and energy of (someone).
It is also defined as: to absorb; engross, or to engage fully.
Based on these definitions, to be consumed with something means that all of your attention and energy is spent on that thing. It means that you fully engage in it, and you absorb everything from it.
When you are consumed with something, you don't waste your time dealing with other things. You don't even want other things because when you are consumed with something, it becomes all that you want, and you want more and more of it. You crave it. You desire it. You long for it.
That is how God wants us to feel about Him. He wants us to be so consumed with Him, that we don't want anyone/anything else but Him. He wants us to be so consumed with Him that we don't even waste our time with anything else. He wants our hearts to long for Him, He wants our souls to desire Him, He wants to be the very thing that our mind and soul craves and desires and feeds off of. He wants us to want Him more and more. He doesn't want us to grow stagnant in pursuing Him, but to continue to pursue Him and love Him even more.
Deuteronomy 6:5 says:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
In Matthew 10:37-38, Jesus says:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment."
In Mark 12:30, Jesus says:
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
In Luke 10:27 Jesus says:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."
These few verses show us how much God desires for us to love Him. He wants us to love Him with our everything! All of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. Think about that for a second. That is a LOT of love that He wants from us! There is no way possible to love God as much as He wants us to if we are not fully consumed with loving Him. He says to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; not some, not a little, not even most. But all.
This deep desire for us to love Him is firmly rooted in God's love for us. He wants us to love Him with every fiber of our being, He wants us to love Him with all that we are and all that we have because that is how He loves us, with His everything; which He proved by sending His Son to die for us. God gave all that He had out of His love for us, and now He wants to receive that same kind of love from us.
In Luke 14:26, Jesus says:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
Looking at this verse may seem odd at first, why would Jesus tell us to hate our family members, if He is all about love? Well, when you look at this verse deeper, you see that Jesus is saying that unless one does not hate his own family, then they cannot be a disciple of Christ. He is not telling us to hate our family members as in not show them love, but He is saying "If you love your family members, and even your own life, more than Me, then you cannot be my disciple. If you are focused more on what they want from you than what I have called you to do, then you cannot be my disciple. If you are too busy being consumed by their opinions and trying to please them, rather than being consumed by Me, then you cannot be My disciple." See, Jesus doesn't want us to hate our family, but He does want us to love Him SO much more, that in comparison, the love we have towards our family is like hatred compared to the great amount of love we have for Him.
We are called to be consumed. Consumed with what? Consumed with Christ and the things of Christ. Consumed with love for God. Consumed with pleasing God. Consumed with following Christ. Consumed with picking up our crosses and denying our flesh daily. Consumed with doing what He requires of us. Consumed with obedience to Him, even if it may cause conflict in the home or with people we love.
There are so many things in this world demanding our attention and devotion. The question is, what do you allow yourself to be consumed with: God and the things of God, or selfish matters, pleasing people, and the things of this world?
God wants nothing less than everything from us. Jesus did not call for a lukewarm follower. He did not call for us to only follow Him when things are easy or when we have everyone's
approval.
In fact, Galatians 1:10 say this:
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
This verse in itself tells us that we can't live to serve Christ and live to please humans. We can't have a split devotion between God and this world, between God and people. We can only serve one master.
In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says this:
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
We are called to be consumed, but we have the choice to make. With whom/what will I be consumed? God, or someone/something apart from God? You can't choose both.
I'll tell you right now that God will not allow you to give Him anything less than 100% devotion.
He wants us to be completely consumed with Him.
God bless! ♡
-Elisha :)