SURRENDER

Luke 14:33—In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.

They call themselves Christians and they are the most peculiar of people. They embrace relinquishing their right to themselves to serve the will of some invisible God. They bow their heads respectfully in what they call prayer to send their words through a blank sky to some cosmic location called heaven believing their Creator-Father hears them.

They say God has a Son called Jesus. This Man-God is their hero. What is so bizarre is that this Jesus fellow though a reputed miracle worker and profound teacher, willingly allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross at the bequest of religious leaders who hated Him. He was utterly first-class in His ability to give up. This crucified Teacher according to His enthusiastic disciples rose from the dead! Because He lived a sinless life they claim He took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. He laid down His life as a sacrifice for all people to save any that would place their trust in Him.

Such trust goes on globally. What civilization on earth is untouched by teachings of Jesus and God as taught from a book they venerate as holy and call the Bible? Never mind that this collection of stories and teachings were written down by clever men in many cases thousands of years ago, these Christians actually believe divine inspiration was behind the pen of each writer.

They abide by archaic commandments established by God on stone for a rebellious people. Most annoyingly, they feel compelled to share their faith with others. Throughout this planet they willingly relinquish their lives rather than renounce their loyalty to their Savior. In a world of relativism they remain fixed on an absolute notion that only one way exists to overcome sin and death and that is through faith in Jesus. This Lord makes claims no other religion matches. These Christians testify Jesus has changed their lives and given them hope, peace and meaning in life.

Any fool knows that to run up the white flag means defeat. Unconditional surrender is the fate of the vanquished—a scary proposition. Yet these fools throw down their right to do as they please to obey their God. They embrace submission as if it were nobler than independence. They yield where most defy. They are imperfect ambassadors for their holy Lord yet their notion of love, life and God provoke the heart. One cannot help but wonder if the lock confining emptiness is opened by a key called surrender.

Inspiration
No one is ever united with the Lord Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish all of the life he held before.—Oswald Chamber in Christian Discipline