COMPLETELY SURRENDERED

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads
to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God
that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your
heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have
been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
(Romans 6:16-18)

MEDITATION:
Do we fully understand what it costs the kingdom
of God when we live with a restricted commitment to Christ?
    – Countless souls may never hear the good news,
    – Much-needed Christian workers may never put feet to their faith,
    – Prayers that would have been answered are never uttered.
    – Lost people cannot witness our consistency in worship and praise.
          Even though we may not speak about our faith (which we should),
          the lost people observe the sincerity of our faith by our actions.
          They see what we put before meeting with the Lord and other believers.

We are surrendered completely to God when….

1. We say, “No matter what I want, Lord, Your will be done”.
        We start by acknowledging His right to be in control of our lives.
        Then we follow, even if He leads us where we don’t want to go.

2. We stop bargaining with God.
        Our prayers often sound like this:
            “Lord, I am willing to do what You say if
              only You first help me or heal me, or give
              me success in this venture . . . ”
        As sinners condemned by our own nature and helpless to save
        ourselves, we have no basis for negotiation with God. He redeemed
        us with the shed blood of His Son and made us part of His family.
        Our allegiance to Him is to be wholehearted (we need to be “all in”).

3. We let go in order to receive from God.
        Complete surrender means we willingly give up our independence,
        self-determination, and personal preferences.
            He who has found his life will lose it,
            and he who has lost his life for My sake
            will find it. (Matthew 10:39)
It means giving up our will for His will (selfishness for selflessness).
It means we stop justifying the things we do or don’t do (when we
find ourselves justifying, it should be an alarm that we are out of His
Will).

When we give up our independence, we position ourselves for an
outpouring of God’s maximum blessing, full usefulness in His service,
and deep fellowship with Him. Because we are an open channel ready
for God’s use, nothing obstructs the flow of His Spirit through our life
and work. We will receive more than we ever give up.

ACTION:
What has the Lord brought to your mind today that you haven’t
truly yielded to Him? Is it time for you to kneel and surrender it
today, so He can include you as part of His plan to reach others
for His kingdom?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for allowing my selfishness
to prevent me from being used by You. Today, I humbly
bow before You and ask that You would show me the
spiritual gift You have given me. I pray that You will
show me how to use Your gift in the way You want me
to (without any restrictions). Thank You for including
me in Your earthly ministry to rescue others from the
penalties of sin.”

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