The Surrendered Life

Thoughts to ponder:
"To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender. If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him." (Oswald Chambers)

If I've learned anything in the last 6 months, it is that the above thoughts are incredibly true. Truly, in our heart of hearts, no one wants to surrender. A soldier, an army, a nation...none of these wants to say, "I surrender." It's seen as a losing of face, an admission of weakness or some sort of failure. In the natural realm, there will always be someone standing there "gloating" over the surrender, ready to pour lemon juice on the open wound.

However, in God's kingdom, surrender is the only way to life. In our weakness, HE is strong. In our surrender, He is allowed to live His life in and through us, bringing all of His life into us and subsequently, through us. It truly is in dying that we live; in laying down our lives to Him, that He gives us His life, which is so much better than anything we could ever imagine.

Jesus Himself cried out the greatest cry of surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane, through tears, anxiety, sweating drops of blood, and even pleading for His Father to take the cup away from him. In the end, Jesus proclaimed, "Father, not my will, but Thy will be done." What followed was excruciatingly painful. A friend's betrayal; the abandonment of nearly all His friends; severe beatings; a crown of thorns pressed down upon His head; mockery; false accusations; horrific physical torture and pain; emotional turmoil; public humiliation; and finally, a brutal death. Note, all of these things came AFTER surrender to the Father's will. I stand amazed at myself and the expectation that I have that when I say, "Thy will be done!" that somehow I will "escape" the fire of His purifying love! There is nothing that you or I will ever face in our lives that Jesus has not felt to the fullest measure. Lord, I cry out to You, have mercy on me, and give me Your grace! More importantly, may YOUR will be done in my life!

The paradox of heaven is that in surrendering, we win everything!