Surrender
The dictionary defines "surrender" as --to yield to the power of another, to give oneself up, to abandon, to give up completely. That word is thrown around so flippantly, and the song,
"I Surrender All" is frequently used as an invitation. But I wonder if we truly understand the word and what it means to surrender.
The best example we have is Jesus. Philippians 2 tells us that He surrendered life in Heaven, the power of Heaven, the security of Heaven to come to earth and save us. He abandoned His rightful place, He yielded His rights and gave himself up completely. That is so powerful!! Surrender, both by example and definition is total----Jesus saved nothing back. When we become Christians, we are called to surrender who we are, what we have, all our past and all our future to Christ. I am certain I don't always do so. I am also certain there is no such thing as partial surrender. As I think about that which I have saved back, that which I held on to so tightly and stubbornly refused to give over to Him, I am truly saddened.
Ned is a war freak. He loves to watch documentaries and movies about any and every war. He knows which guns were used in World War I and which in Vietnam, and on and on. He tells me when a nation surrenders to another, the victor is then responsible for the one who surrenders. He says the welfare of the surrendering nation becomes the responsibility of the conqueror. I believe that is exactly what God wants and expects to do for us. When we surrender all to Him, He then takes over. He gives us a sense of mission and purpose. He provides for our needs. He protects us. He does this because we are His and as such, we are allowed to share in His victory. We become so much more than spoils of war. His power is much greater than any we know or imagine and He is willing to take responsibility for us as righteousness has conquered sin. He does not do so for those who have not surrendered.
And yet, we hold back, refusing to surrender fully. We rely on our power to and our wits to care for us. We rob ourselves of God's power and care. Surrender---its an all or nothing. Surrendering all brings with it assurance, security and peace. Who wouldn't want that? I think its time to wave the white flag. Don't you?
Neva
"I Surrender All" is frequently used as an invitation. But I wonder if we truly understand the word and what it means to surrender.
The best example we have is Jesus. Philippians 2 tells us that He surrendered life in Heaven, the power of Heaven, the security of Heaven to come to earth and save us. He abandoned His rightful place, He yielded His rights and gave himself up completely. That is so powerful!! Surrender, both by example and definition is total----Jesus saved nothing back. When we become Christians, we are called to surrender who we are, what we have, all our past and all our future to Christ. I am certain I don't always do so. I am also certain there is no such thing as partial surrender. As I think about that which I have saved back, that which I held on to so tightly and stubbornly refused to give over to Him, I am truly saddened.
Ned is a war freak. He loves to watch documentaries and movies about any and every war. He knows which guns were used in World War I and which in Vietnam, and on and on. He tells me when a nation surrenders to another, the victor is then responsible for the one who surrenders. He says the welfare of the surrendering nation becomes the responsibility of the conqueror. I believe that is exactly what God wants and expects to do for us. When we surrender all to Him, He then takes over. He gives us a sense of mission and purpose. He provides for our needs. He protects us. He does this because we are His and as such, we are allowed to share in His victory. We become so much more than spoils of war. His power is much greater than any we know or imagine and He is willing to take responsibility for us as righteousness has conquered sin. He does not do so for those who have not surrendered.
And yet, we hold back, refusing to surrender fully. We rely on our power to and our wits to care for us. We rob ourselves of God's power and care. Surrender---its an all or nothing. Surrendering all brings with it assurance, security and peace. Who wouldn't want that? I think its time to wave the white flag. Don't you?
Neva
posted by Neva | 9:11 AM
1 Comments:
He takes better care of us than we ever could---once he has conquered us he helps us conquer the sin in our lives
keep up the good work
Dan
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