Friends For The Journey

Since Debbie was diagnosed with stage 4, metastasized breast cancer, surrender has become the most important operative word in our lives. We both have been practicing the fine art, and the spiritual discipline of surrendering our will to God’s higher will and to the greater good on a daily basis. I have come to believe that the most powerful prayer in the world is Jesus’ prayer of surrender in the garden: “Not my will, but thine be done.”

I am not an expert on Buddhism, but I believe there is a school of Buddhist belief that teaches that the only way to enlightenment and peace is total surrender of all attachments. Yoda, in Star Wars, warned Darth Vader that he must ‘surrender’ his attachments in order maintain his inner peace and not succumb to the dark side of the force.

This leads in to chapter 10 of the Purpose-Driven Life. Rick Warren defines the heart of worship as surrender. Below is a brief, one page summary.

The Heart of Worship (Chapter 10).

Give Yourselves to God…Surrender your whole life to him to be used for righteous purposes (Romans 6:13).

Surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as much as submission. It implies losing. But surrendering to God is the heart of worship.

Romans 12:1 – I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. In the Message: Offer yourselves to God…

The act of personal surrender to God: God wants your life – all of it.

MAJOR BARRIERS THAT CAN BLOCK OUR SURRENDER:

Fear: Can I trust God? God loves you. Evidences: you are never out of his sight, he cares about every detail of your life, he gave you the capacity to enjoy all kinds of pleasure, he has good plans for your life, he forgives you, he is lovingly patient with you, God loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.

Pride: Admitting our limitations. We want to be in control. We want to be God, but there is no way we can win that struggle. We often accept our humanity intellectually but not emotionally. When faced with our own limitations we react with irritation, anger and resentment.

Confusion What is surrender? What it means to surrender: It may mean sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change. C.S. Lewis: “the more we let God take over, the more truly ourselves we become—because he made us.”

The blessing of surrender. When you surrender, you will experience
Peace., Freedom, Power.
Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God.

The best way to live. If you don’t surrender to God, you will inevitably surrender to the expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, to pride, lusts or ego.
E. Stanley Jones: “if you don’t surrender to Christ, you will surrender to chaos.”
Your wisest moments will be those when you say ‘yes’ to God.
Give it all to God…put Jesus in the driver’s seat of your life.
Surrender is never just a one-time event: it is moment-by-moment, daily.

Point to Ponder: The heart of worship is surrender.
Verse to remember: “Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purpose.”
Questions: What area of my life am I holding back from God?
Have I surrendered my will to God’s will? Or am I still trying to live life my way?