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[THEME] 2 Corinthians 5:15

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 

Friday, 16 July 2021 15:59

TOTAL SURRENDER Featured

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BY FRANK MUNGAI

Total surrender in regards to following Christ means the complete submission of ourselves to Him. It is submitting ourselves, our hearts, our bodies our lives and our will to Him, without withholding anything. It also means living under the Lordship of Christ and making Him (and our love for Him) supersede everything else in our lives. The most important thing that God desires from all of us is our hearts’ full willingness to obey and trust in Him, that is faith.

 

'Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. '

Matthew 16:24-25

Denying ourselves means forfeiting our own selfish interest and ungodly pursuits and following in His example in living. This is perfectly seen from the first disciples that Jesus called into His ministry. 

'As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. At once they left their nets and followed him. '

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. '

Matthew 4:18-22

Luke 5:27-28 (The calling of Levi, a tax collector)

We see these first disciples leaving behind their occupations, which essentially signifies their former lives, and even their loved ones in order to heed to the call of Christ. This must not have been an easy choice, but a bold step of faith without any questioning or hesitance whatsoever. Although these men were different and had diverse occupations and lives, their response to Christ was the same, showing total surrender and complete submission and trust. When these men were called by Jesus, they weren’t the most upright-standing before God. In Luke 5:8, When Peter was called, he fell at Jesus knees and confessed to be a sinner. Levi and his company of tax collectors were also regarded by the pharisees to be sinful men, but Jesus said that He came as a physician not for the healthy but for the sick. (Luke 5:29-30).

Luke 4:18-19 says that Jesus came to bring good news to poor, to give sight to the blind and to set the oppressed free. So, His call is towards all of us.

Jesus Himself shows total surrender to the Father, by remaining obedient to the will of God even to the point of death.

'Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! '

Philippians 2:6-8

In the same way, Jesus Himself, though He was the son of God, surrendered fully to the Father, we also ought as Christians and as His disciples to surrender to Him.

'And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. '

2 Corinthians 5:15

What does it mean to be fully surrendered unto God?

1. Loving God

To make Him loved and adored more than anything else in our lives. Making our passion for Him exceed everything else in our hearts, and making Him our first priority.

This also means letting go of our attachments, and giving up the things we previously valued for the sake of God, just like these disciples did. Unless we do this, we cannot get to a point of total surrender.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ '

Mark 12:30

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our hearts, and it is impossible to do this if we still cling unto worldly passions and interests and love the things of the world. This is clearly stated in stated in 1 John 2:15, that if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in them. We are also reminded in Colossians 3:2, to set our minds on the things above and not earthly things and that way, we can devote ourselves and love the Lord fully with all of our hearts.

If we love anything else in our hearts more than Christ, no matter how innocent, then it becomes an idol in our lives. It could be a job, a spouse or even ourselves through pride and self-seeking intents, and these hold us us from following Christ

' “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. '

Matthew 10:37-39

We see in Mark 10:17-22 of a rich man who wanted to acquire eternal life, although he had kept the commandments, Jesus told the man that there was one thing he lacked. To show this to him, he asked him to give up his wealth and follow Him (just as he had told His first disciples), but the man turned back. He lacked the complete, sincere and uttermost love for God and valued his worldly possessions more, and thus, could not make a disciple of Christ.

'Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. '

Mark 10:21-22

The Lord is not a dictator and He does not impose His will in on us forcefully, He has given us a choice to follow Him, and His desire is that we chose to follow Him whole-heartedly, because His kingdom is not a matter of compulsion but of love.

2. Trusting in God

Total surrender also means trusting in God over every situation concerning our lives; in our steps, choices, habits and lifestyle. We draw our confidence and hope from Him and being content in His will and plan for our lives. By surrendering to God, we need to be fully dependent and reliant on Him. Not trusting in our own might, wit or understanding but depending on His grace. Not following our own instinct and intuition, but the voice of the Lord in our all undertakings.

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. '

Proverbs 3:5-6

We should overcome the deceptive attitude of self-sufficiency and realize that apart from His grace, we can achieve nothing.

(Psalms 37: 5-6)

We trust in the Lord for we know that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), He is always working for our good (Romans 8:28), His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), He is able to do abundantly more than we think, ask or imagine (Eph 3:20), Christ reminds us not to worry about anything for He is our sustainer and He meets all our needs (Matthew 6:31-33).

 

3. Walking in Holiness

Like the disciples had to leave their former lives and identities, when called to Christ, we should also turn back from our former sinful ways. We should leave our sinful habits and lifestyle, and His grace and Holy Spirit are here to help us overcome the bondage of sin and indulgence in the flesh, for Christ came to liberate and set us free from the captivity of sin, so we can start living by the spirit.

'You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. '

Ephesians 4:22-24

'Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. '

Galatians 5:16,24-25

(Read Galatians 5:16-25)

We should live lives that honor our calling to Christ, and live to glorify His name by walking in His example of holiness. (Eph 4: 1, Romans 6:12) And this righteousness is not by our own works and moral discipline but is only achieved through submission to the Holy Spirit.

4. Total obedience.

Being fully surrendered to God also means being fully obedient to His word and will. We live under His Lordship and authority and if we fail to obey Him, then we cease to make Him Lord in our lives.

' “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? '

Luke 6:46

Whenever we declare Christ as our Lord and saviour, we are asserting that He has authority over everything in our lives and we must therefore obey His teachings and live under His guidance in obedience. Our love for God is our incentive or motivation for obedience, loving God precedes obedience to God.

' “If you love me, keep my commands. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” '

John 14:15,21

And the fear of God means obeying His word.

5. Humility

To surrender fully to God, we need to humble ourselves before Him. The Lord opposes the pride but shows favour to the humble (James 4:6, 10). Pride in ourselves can prevent us from reaching the point of total surrender and submission to God. We should ask God to examine our hearts, and forgive us for any attitude of pride that we have put before Him, and take on the fruit of humility that the spirit bears in us.

6. Consistency.

When we turn to Christ, and surrender to Him, we should remain consistent in Him. It is a life-long journey in our Christian walk, and we should not be inconsistent in our faith, but rather intentionally make it a habit in our lives. And we should not at any point turn back. Jesus warns us of the severity of inconsistency and turning back:

'Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”'

Luke 9:62

'But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” '

Hebrews 10:38-39

Essence of total surrender.

Until we surrender to God, then He has no place in our lives, and unless we show our sincere need for Him, then there can be no basis for a relationship with Him. How can we be His children if we do not accept Him in the first place? Total surrender is the first step towards salvation and it is crucial in maintaining our salvation. It is the beginning of the journey of faith, and it is the process of the journey itself.

It is also an action and expression of faith. The men who walked with God started their walk by surrendering to God and showing complete trust in Him, from the early disciples, to Abraham the patriarch and Moses the intercessor. It starts with knowing God, loving God and then obeying God. Hebrews 11:8,17,26-27

'By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, '

Hebrews 11:8,17

'By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. '

Hebrews 11:8,17,26-27

                            

Read 3203 times Last modified on Sunday, 10 April 2022 12:22

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