Friday, February 7, 2020

Why Surrender to God?

pink flower



The world rejects the idea of surrendering. They equate surrender with giving up, and with loss and defeat. However, when we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we release all the stress and striving in our life.

In return, we gain the fruit of His Spirit, which defy all human logic (Galatians 5:22-23). Surrender means to trust God, and to stop struggling to live on our own in this hostile environment we call “life”.

Surrender results in our absolute submission to God’s leading for each moment of our day. In return, we receive His deepest presence in our life along with a multitude of blessings (Job 22:21). The easiest way to walk in surrender is to start obeying the Spirit’s direction in small increments.

For instance, we prefer our mate’s needs to our own. We put money in the offering basket that we intended to use for some luxury. We take food to a sick friend when we prefer to stay home and watch TV. We give our bicycle to a family without transportation.

We also relinquish our right, as Jesus did, to prove that we are innocent. We do not assume the attitude of a martyr; but we obey the Spirit’s promptings with joy, knowing that God provides us with an abundance of every good thing (Hebrews 12:2).

In our old life we surrendered to sin, but now we have a new Master and He truly sets us free (Romans 6:16-18). Dying to our self is not detestable when we know it results not only in future treasures in Heaven for eternity, but also in joy and peace now.

This eternal perspective allows us to pass through the less agreeable moments of surrender more easily. When God calls us to submission to His greater will, we offer our life to Him. We relinquish our personal freedom.

Then, God replaces earthly autonomy with spiritual freedom, which is deeper and reaps lasting blessings in our spirit, body and soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions. There is no lasting liberty outside of a complete surrender to Christ (Luke 14:33).

We yield our life to Christ each new day, giving to Him the issues that weigh us down, seeking His guidance for each moment, and giving Him the glory for everything that we accomplish (Galatians 3:1-3).

The areas of our life, which we refuse to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, are the venues that imprison us. They are idols that we cherish more than our relationship with our living Lord. If we walk through life in obedience to the Holy Spirit, we reap blessings that never end.

We learn to view our life from His vantage point, and we see the people in it as our mission field. A life of half-hearted commitment may lose its tranquility and happiness, but a surrendered life provides overwhelming peace and joy. 

Prayer:
Father God, teach us to see our family, neighbors, friends, workmates, associates, and even the check-out people at the retail store, or those waiting on us at the restaurant, as hand-chosen by You for us to influence for Your Kingdom. When we live in Christ and allow Him to live in and through us, we surrender our old life and live as Your new creation for Your glory (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Help us to follow You by denying our desires and dying to our selfishness. If we try to preserve our life, we will ultimately lose it. Then, we will realize that gaining the world does not satisfy, because we will lose our own soul (Mark 8: 36). But following You gives us unending peace and joy (Matthew 16:24-26). Teach us that we not only commit our life to Christ, but also we surrender our actions, talents and accomplishments to His Lordship and direction.

Thought for the Day:
The moments we live in surrender to God are more richly experienced and completely fulfilling than any others, and if we surrender our life to God for His sake, and give up our plans, goals and ambitions for Him, then we will gain a more fulfilling and joy-filled life.
- Matthew 16:25; Philippians 3:8