True Surrender

Note: This is the final devotion for Lord, Hear Our Prayer.

Daily Reading –

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

2 Corinthians 5:9 “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”

Surrender: it's a word we don't like very much because it speaks of capitulation or compromise. Surrender implies loss, and in a world that glorifies winners we don't want to have anything to do with that. And yet God says to the believer, surrender your life to Me. In this sense, surrender involves complete dedication and consecration. True surrender involves getting off the throne of my life and saying, "Lord, take charge. Lord, You take command of my life."

God is not a tyrant. He is our loving, Holy and Heavenly Father. We can trust Him with our families, with our future, and with our fears.

We may not always understand the what, when, how, and why of God's perfect will for our lives, but of this I am utterly sure: We can trust God to lead us well. God has a wonderful plan for our lives! When we give ourselves unreservedly to Him, He will do His very best for us.

The fact is, if we don't surrender to Jesus, we'll surrender to something else - to chaos or confusion, to the opinions of others, or to habits that we can't control. We will surrender to something or someone.

Several years ago, I discovered a powerful little verse in 2 Corinthians 5:9 (paraphrased) that I carry with me wherever I go: “So, whether I am at home or away, I make it my aim to please Christ Jesus." We please God with our laid-down lives.

Will you surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Don't let fear or pride stop you from doing so.

“Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” - E. M. Bounds