1/5/20 Javier (see HERE)
What does it mean to “surrender” to God?
To surrender means “to cease resistance to an enemy or
opponent and submit to their authority”.
It’s not exactly a positive thought, and it goes against the grain of
every freedom-loving person and independent spirit. Yet that is exactly what God requires of us.
But wait – who exactly is this “enemy” we must submit
to? As believers, we have many enemies –
the world, the flesh, the devil, even death itself. But before we were believers, the enemy was
actually God! Colossians 1:21 tells us “Once you were alienated from God and
were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” We were rebels, running from God.
But if we are honest we know there is nowhere we can go to
hide from God. Job 34 tells us “His eyes
are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. There is no deep shadow,
no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide.”
It’s only a matter of time, but sooner or later, we need to
surrender.
So I was glad to hear during a conversation with a young man
named Javier and Mark, his friend, that about ten years ago he had “surrendered”
to God as a result of his sister’s conversion to Christianity and attending her
church. Since then, he has been open to
the things of God and particularly enjoys Christian music on the radio and
inspirational movies on the Hallmark channel.
But in the ten years since he has moved to Chicago he hasn’t
grown in his understanding of the Gospel.
He hasn’t attended church, he hasn’t read the Bible much, and he hasn’t
sought out opportunities for growth and fellowship. Instead, he’s been drifting away from God, to
the point where he isn’t sure of salvation.
I think it might have something to do with a
misunderstanding of what it means to surrender.
To “surrender” has the connotation of laying down one’s
arms, of giving up, of waiting to see what the authority we have surrendered to
will do next. It can lead one to believe
we can be passive in our relationship with God, but to truly surrender means we
give everything over to God – our hopes and dreams, our work, our health, our relationships,
and our energy. We stop living for the devil, yes, but we can’t forget to start
living for God.
A slightly different word is used more in the Bible – to “submit”
to God, which has a more active connotation, as in James 4:7 “Submit
yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come
near to God and he will come near to you.”
It is an action, a change of allegiance, a drawing near to God and an active
struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Romans 8:6-7 contrasts our former life in the flesh with our
new life in the Spirit: “The mind
governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and
peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to
God’s law, nor can it do so.
I want to encourage Javier, Mark, and anyone reading this to
take a more active role in “surrendering” to God. To submit every day by prayerfully reading
and obeying God’s Word, by active involvement in a local church and otherwise
actively pursuing what you can in order to come near to God, and I am confident
that He will also come near to you.
Thanks
Javier, for allowing me to record our conversation! It can be viewed on my YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/IGooUW_dAOs
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