“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”– John 15:4-7
In the eyes of the world, to surrender equates to humiliation.
No one wants to give up and give in to the more powerful side, waving that white flag of surrender. So, no wonder the idea of surrender is often deeply resented. But here’s the irony and the paradox of the Christian faith:
Surrender is the beginning of the victorious Christian life!
When we realize how much God loves us and how He shows us that love by what Christ has done – by literally dying in our place on the cross, paying the penalty for all our sins – past, present, and future – and then rising from the dead, we realize our sinfulness. It’s when we’re convicted of our sin, that we can finally surrender our lives to our Lord Jesus Christ, giving Him all that we have. This means handing over all of our desires, our goals, our dreams, our priorities, and our possessions. Then, and only then, do we begin the first and most important step in the victorious Christian life. It all begins with surrender.
Anything we hold onto that hasn’t been surrendered to Christ is worthless to the Kingdom of God. Worthless!
So, how do we surrender?
- Spend time alone with Him and study God’s Word – Meditate on His teachings to learn more about God’s will in your life. Pray to discover His will for your life, not to tell God what you want.
- Abide in Him daily – In other words, stay close to God every day, trusting and obeying Him.
- Join a community of believers – Commit to a local church to worship, serve, and have fellowship with other believers.
- Share your faith – This is Christ’s mission for the church, to share our faith with others through words and deeds.
This type of total surrender equals total trust, ultimately leading to a life of true meaning and purpose.
Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH
