Becca and I have been learning many things together since being married. One of those things is about surrender and submission to the Lord. We are seeking the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. This is definitely easier said than done. I want to talk about the act of surrender and what it really means.
Sometimes we can be so quick to throw around phrases that sound spiritual or that we hear other people saying, but do we mean it?
Phrases like: I will go to the ends of the Earth for the Lord... I surrender my all to you Jesus... and I give my life as a living sacrifice.
You may be saying, what is wrong with those statements? - Absolutely nothing is wrong with saying those things. In fact, I believe God would love to hear us declare those things and many more to Him. However, have you followed up on those statements? The Lord knows your heart and will not be fooled when we say one thing and live completely different.
I have been challenged recently with backing up my declarations to surrender everything to God. Yes, He deserves everything to be given to Him, but so many times we want to hold on to our relationship, our future, or our money. The problem is when we say to God: "You can have my church life, but I want to be in charge of who I marry, where I live and the money I spend." When we do that, we are not allowing God to use us at our full potential. In fact, we may be living our lives fully dependent on ourselves, which in turn leaves no room for the Holy Spirit to move and work in our lives. We must become dependent on God so that it is He who gets the glory even in our weaknesses.
Back to how God is teaching Becca and I about surrender. We are becoming acutely aware of the rampant sin and destruction in the world. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that if we want to have lives that honor the Lord and have children that do the same, we must fall on our faces (acknowledging that He must become greater and we must become less). We worship the one true God. The only God who is worthy of such praise, and the only God who cares about us enough that He would send His son, Jesus, to die for us. To know such a love that He would lay down His life for sinners like us. Because of this, we say to God, "We give our lives to you as a living sacrifice. We are available for whatever may come and wherever You may lead."
I am convinced... LIVING for the one who gave His life, so we can have eternal life, will NOT end poorly.
My prayer for us today is that we would see that a life surrendered in obedience to God is a life that is being lived to the fullest. Wherever the Lord takes you, may you carry the good news of the Gospel at all times.
No comments:
Post a Comment