Our Formation in Christ 15 - The Blessing of Surrender

It might not sound as if surrendering is a good thing, but there is a great blessing in surrendering our lives to God. Our problem, which originated from the fall of mankind, is being too independent, opinionated, and stubborn. However, there is a freedom that comes from surrendering to your commanding officer, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we do not have the liberty to do what is pleasing in our own eyes. An independent attitude will only result in a life that is lost. We are to rather live a life of surrender and thereby save our lives. This means that we are to follow Jesus, deny ourselves, and take up our cross, living according to every principle in the Word of God. Christians should not be living with the same lax morals and in the sinful ways of the world. Living God’s way means denying yourself. This is not easy, like for instance when denying your body’s hunger, or not reacting when provoked. We even saw Jesus’ will shrink back from the imminent pain when He asked for the cup to be removed while praying in Gethsemane, but regardless, He surrendered his will to that of the Father. Taking up our cross is something we are to do on a daily basis. It is God’s will for us to be sanctified and holy, living like- and imitating Jesus, being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, since He is the one who enables us to live in this way. We need to harken to the word which is coming from our commander, that the war of living an independent life has ended two thousand years ago, and surrender our wills and lives to him.