As a youth, I remember hearing an illustration of a violin which was being auctioned with other items. The violin was old but in good shape. None in the audience knew, including the auctioneer, that the violin was the work of Antonio Stradivari. When its time came to be auctioned, the auctioneer struggled to even get an opening bid. Someone bid a dollar, a raise or two was made, but it appeared that a bid of five dollars was about to purchase this exquisite piece of art and history.
Bustling was heard in the rear of the room and the audience noticed a man walking toward the stage. At first no one recognized him, but then someone said it was Paganini, a famous musician. Paganini walked up and took the violin from the auctioneer and examined it closely. Then, with masterful touch, he took the bow and began to play. Hushed silence fell upon the room as this great master played beautifully on this wonderful instrument. When he finished, the crowd clapped and cheered for countless minutes. As Paganini left the stage, the auctioneer once again took up his call. “I have five,” he said, “Do I hear more?” “Ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand!” was shouted by various patrons. A final bid of five thousand dollars was given, and the violin was sold. The obvious illustrative question is, What made the instrument go from almost worthless to fetching such a grandiose sum? The answer is equally as obvious. The difference in price was in the knowledge of who made it.
Like a grimy violin, some of us feel we are dead to all that is good. However, as that violin yielded itself to Paganini, what we need to do is yield ourselves to God. He is the One who can take our lives, regardless of how simple they appear, and make them wonderful, fulfilling, and Christ-like. Yet, too often we withhold ourselves from His tender care and refuse the sweet music in life He wants us to have.
Our self-yielding to God must be a voluntary act. With reason and will, we must yield ourselves to a higher motive and calling. We must be life in a world of death, light in a world of darkness. An unyielding life is a citadel of self. God will not force Himself upon us, but will, with open arms, welcome us to His heart.
Our self-yielding to God must be an act of total surrender. The greatest gift of all times was Jesus (John 3:16), what God wants from us is us. There are many things people try to give God, yet all He wants, all He will accept, is total surrender.
There is no substitute for self-yielding. We must give ourselves. How grieved would be a true friend if our heart was not open, and grieved is our Father if we offer not ourselves. The mighty penman of Tarsus wrote, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Rom. 6:13).
Shan Jackson