surrender

surrender is defined as “giving oneself up into the power of another”.  following Christ is not just a moment of surrender, but a process of surrender.  i think many people think that you surrender one time and God smiles… you get saved… everything is great.. and life goes on.  i don’t think that surrender is a one-time deal in my life.  why?  because there is a constant battle that rages between the kingdom of me and the kingdom of God.  the kingdom of me is scott trying to live life the way i want to… to do what i want… go where i want… make my own decisions…  chase after my own dreams… to basically live “me first”.

to surrender means to put the kingdom of God first in my life… Jesus said to seek first God’s kingdom (and His righteousness) - His way of living, His way of acting, His way, not my way.  i’ve gotta surrender my lifestyle to Him and purpose to not let sin dominate me.  romans 6:13 - “don’t surrender any part of yourselves to sin… surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes.”  a life of surrender is a life of purity and freedom.

i’ve been starting my day by diving into God’s word (mainly the psalms) and seeking God in prayer and worship.  i have to surrender my day to Him and it off in joy and strength.  ”find out for yourself how good the Lord is.”  psalm 34:9   if i don’t seek Him in the a.m., my day will be chaotic and heavy.   a life of surrender is a life of intimacy and closeness.

God’s thoughts are higher than my thoughts, His ways are far beyond anything i can imagine.  i need to surrender my decisions to the Lord and seek His insights and trust Him to lead me.  proverbs 3:5-6, “trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure our everything on your own.  Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.  Don’t assume you know it all.”  God told jeremiah if people would seek Him, He would show them great secrets and insights that they could not get from anywhere else.  what an amazing God we have that will shower us with wisdom and help us make perfect decisions that bring victory to our lives.  a life of surrender is a life on track.

i get to surrender my resources to God.  every bit of increase that comes into my life, i honor Him by giving Him the first and the best.  i’m convinced that a Christian can’t be fully pursuing God unless they are generously giving to advance His kingdom in this world.  deuteronomy 15:10 tells us to “give generously… and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”  a life of surrender is a blessed life.

finally, i need to work on surrendering my dreams to God.  so many times the dream that I have for my life, family and ministry is dwarfed in comparison to the big dream that God wants to make come true for me.  ”by His mighty power at work within us, God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope or dream.”  ephesians 3:20   scott sized dreams are way, way to small for my life.  God sized dreams are overwhelming, but can be realized as i surrender my heart to Him and expect the best.  a life of surrender is a life beyond our wildest dreams.

“offer yourselves completely to God… to be used for His good purposes.”  romans 6:13