It is an odd thought by worlds standards, "Unconditional surrender to God brings me spiritual victory." While it may be an odd thought, there is a cavern of truth within that statement, it is immense and real.
The world that we live in is filled with "conventional wisdom" that tells us that the only way we are successful is by "winning," and at the same time the "conventional wisdom" tells us that if you are not "winning" you are "losing" and no one wants to be a "loser." Although, this is not the thought of Paul, we are told that he was crucified with Christ and he gains all by losing all. That is not conventional wisdom, you don't gain anything by losing, except a few bruises, and a beaten up ego.
On the other hand, Surrendering to Christ does have it's own difficult implications. Surrender to Christ means death. Not necessarily physical death, at least not immediately, nor at the onset of surrender. Death in the sense that the normal way of life is no longer the way for you. Surrender means letting you; your selfishness, your desires that are not of God, your attitudes, your stuff that is not of God; die and exist no longer.
"Jesus offers one term of surrenders: the cross you died on positionally must be the cross you live on personally each and every day."
Surrender does lead to life - a new life, a good life, a pure life.
I do not regret the day that I surrendered my life to Christ, not the day that began to follow Christ, but the day that I said, "enough is enough, I can't do it on my own, I give up, I give all of me over to you Jesus." What that day has become is the first day of the rest of life serving Jesus. It was the day that I recognized a call on my life, to follow and pursue Him with all of who I am holding nothing back.
Taking up our Crosses,as Luke describes in Chapter 9 verse 23 of his Gospel, reminds us of what we are to do; deny ourselves and follow. Don't allow yourself to get in the way, Follow Him.
And in the midst of this we are in the week talking about "worn out knees," what do they have in common? Surrender takes place when we are on our knees, humbling ourselves before our Savior, acknowledging His Sovereignty and His plea on our lives to come and follow Him!
Questions to close this blog today - "Can I honestly describe my life as yielded and surrendered to God? Am I more yielded to the opinions of others or my own will than I am to my Lord? What area(s) of my life do I need to give over to God?
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