WHAT IT MEANS TO SURRENDER TO GOD!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 2020.

SUBJECT: WHAT IT MEANS TO SURRENDER TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." (Psalm 37 vs 7.)

READ: Mark 14 vs 32 - 36:

14:32: Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.
14:33: And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.
14:34: Then He said to them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful even to death. Stay here and watch.”

14:35: He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

14:36: And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what You will.

INTIMATION:

To surrender means to yield. Therefore, surrendering to God means to yield completely to Him. Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism (all events have been predetermined), or an excuse to relax, or laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It means the exact opposite: sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. 

God often calls surrendered people to do battle on his behalf. Surrendering is for soldiers of Christ, not for cowards. Likewise it does not mean giving up rational thinking. God would not waste the mind He gave you! God does not want robots to serve Him. Surrendering is not repressing your personality. Rather than its being diminished, surrendering enhances it. The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become, because He made us. He invented all the different people you and I intended to be. It is when I turn to Christ, when I gave up myself to His personality, that I first began to have a real personality of my own. 

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience. You say, "Yes, Lord" to whatever He asks of you. To say, "No, Lord" is to speak a contradiction. You can't call Jesus your Lord when you refuse to obey Him. Surrendered people obey God's word, even if it doesn't make sense. For instance Peter demonstrated the act of surrender when he obeyed the instruction of Jesus, after a whole night of toiling without success: "Master, we have toiled and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." (Luke 5 vs 5.) 

Another aspect of a fully surrendered life is trust. Abraham followed God's leading without knowing where it would take him. Hannah waited for God's perfect timing without knowing when. Mary expected a miracle without knowing how. Joseph trusted God's purpose without knowing why circumstances happened the way they did. Each of these people were fully surrendered to God. You know you're surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don't have to always be "in charge." 

instead of trying harder, you trust more. You also know you're surrendered when you don't react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You don't edge others out, you don't demand your rights, and you aren't self-serving when you are surrendered. You don't fret because of him who prospers in his way, or because the wicked man with his schemes is succeeding while you are not.

The most difficult area to surrender for many people is their money. Many have thought, "I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday." Retirement is not the goal of a surrendered life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6 vs 24), and "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6 vs 21). 

We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money. They spend all their lives chasing after money, collecting, and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their desire for money far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. Whatever you store up you will spend much of your time and energy thinking about. I advice that you do not fall into the materialistic trap, because "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (First Timothy 6 vs 10). Can you honestly say that God, not money, is your master? One test is to ask which one consume more of your thoughts, time, and efforts.

The passage we read today gives us the supreme example of self-surrender in Jesus. The night before His crucifixion Jesus surrendered Himself to God's plan. He prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14 vs 36.) Jesus didn't pray, "God, if you are able to take away this pain, please do so." He had already affirmed that God can do anything! Instead he prayed, "God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that's what I want, too."

Genuine surrender says, "Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another's, please don't take it away. This level of maturity does not come easy. In Jesus' case, He agonized so much over God's plan that He sweat drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it is intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the excellent spirit of total surrender of my whole life to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!