I am blown away
by the incredible picture of surrender in Matthew 4:18-20 –
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,”
Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets
and followed him.”
At once they left their
nets and followed Him. What a breath-taking picture of
surrender! These disciples were
fishermen. When they threw down their
nets to follow Jesus, they literally left behind their jobs – their livelihoods
– to follow Christ.
It makes me
wonder: Do we take this calling
seriously? And are we willing to throw
down our own “nets” to follow Jesus?
Our culture has
taught us to view surrender as a sign of weakness, an act of giving up. When we hear the word “surrender”, we imagine
a battle field in which one army retreats and waves its white flag. But surrender to Christ is very different. Surrender to Jesus brings freedom and life. Surrender to Jesus is beautiful.
So what is
surrender? A dictionary definition for
surrender is: to cease resistance, to
submit fully, to yield completely.
What does surrender look like? It
looks like letting go.
I love this
quote, which perfectly captures the idea of letting go and holding open hands
to God:
“I have learned to hold all things
loosely, because it hurts when God has to pry open my fingers.” –Corrie ten Boom
We all have our
own “nets” that we don’t want to let go of, that we clutch tightly in our
hands. We all hold onto different things
– dreams and ambitions, possessions, relationships, fears and worries, the need
to feel accepted and appreciated…so many other things.
For some of us,
it’s our dreams, hopes, and ambitions.
We make plans for our lives and expect God to bless those plans, rather
than seeking His heart and letting Him guide us. We strive towards whatever plan we have: to
go to a certain college, or work at a specific job or internship, or lead a
certain ministry, etc. I’m learning to
leave my future safe in His hands, to be fully surrendered, and to let the LORD
lead me. His plans are always better
than mine.
For some of us,
we hold onto our earthly possessions – our things. Whether it’s your house, clothing/fashion,
technology, or your hard-earned money, are you holding onto the things in your
life? We must learn that the best things
in life aren’t things. It’s so easy to get caught up in the
“American Dream” and the worldliness around us.
But where are your treasures stored?
In heaven or on earth? I love Matthew
6:19-21 –
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do
not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.”
This weekend, I
had a huge garage sale and got rid of over half of what I own, and I’m giving
away a truckload to the homeless mission tomorrow. Although it’s been hard giving away a lot of
things that I’ve held onto all these years, it also feels so freeing and
refreshing, especially when I see my things bring joy into other people’s
lives. And yet, even still,
comparatively, I have more “stuff” than most people around the globe. I’m so convicted by Luke 18:22. Talking to a wealthy man, Jesus said: “Sell everything you have a give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.” I may
not be wealthy, but I’m still convicted about the “things” I hold onto. What am I holding back? Do I take these words of Jesus seriously? Jim Elliot once said that “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can
never lose.” What things do you need
to surrender?
For many of us,
we need to surrender and lay down our fears and worries. Maybe, like me, you tend to fear the future
rather than smile at it like we are encouraged to do in Proverbs 31. God wants you to surrender those worries and
lay them at His feet. Your future is in
His hands.
Comfort zones,
frankly, tend to be very small, and it’s easy to make excuses for why we “aren’t
qualified” or why we “don’t have the time” to do God’s work. But though His work for us may seem big, and
while the trials we face may seem ominous, the battles we face are not ours but
the LORD’s. We have to learn to abandon
our comfort zones in radical obedience, lay down our fears, and follow
Jesus. “Always do what you are afraid to do.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson. You don’t have to be fearless to follow Jesus;
you just can’t let your fears control you.
Let go of your worries. Fall on Jesus.
Whatever “nets”
you may be clinging to, ask yourself: Am I fully surrendered?
If the answer to
that is no…then ask: What am I holding back?
In Matthew
16:24-25, Jesus says: “If anyone would
come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
We’re called to
give Him our lives. Every part of
us. We may not always be called to
martyr our lives…but we must martyr our way of life. I want to die to myself, for “to live is Christ, to die is gain.”
(Phil. 1:21) I want to listen to the
Spirit’s leading and respond obedience and surrender.
Why? Why should we surrender to God? God is Love…and Love matters most. Love isn’t just passion. Love is sacrifice. Love is surrender. Love lays down itself for Another. He laid down His life for us in the ultimate
act of sacrifice. He calls us now to lay
down ours.
God doesn’t just
want 95% of you. He wants all of
you. All of me.
In ancient
Israel, the people were sinning and turning away from God, and the LORD told
the prophet Ezekiel to go and speak His truth to the wandering people. What was Ezekiel’s response?
“So I did as I was commanded.” (Ez. 12:7)
Wow. No questions.
No hesitation. He just acted on a
heartbeat of obedience, even when God asked Him to do some pretty radical
things. That is such an inspiring
example of surrender.
So the question
remains: What do you need to surrender? What are you holding onto that you’re putting
before God in your life? I love the old
hymn “Be Thou My Vision”, particularly these lyrics: “Thou and Thou only, first in my heart…High King of heaven, my treasure
Thou art.” Is He first in your
heart? Is He your only treasure?
Surrendering is
actually a beautiful act of putting Him first and seeking God. “Seeking” God, in the original Hebrew
language, means “to beat a path to God”.
So surrendering to the LORD often means leaving the familiar path to
follow Jesus.
I have a sign in
my bedroom that says: “remember to surrender”, and it encourages me every time
I see it to surrender freshly each day.
What do you need to surrender, right now, today?
It's time for us to cease resistance, to submit fully, to yield completely - to surrender. So wave your white flag, hold open hands to God,
and let go of your nets. You’ll be
surprised by the amazing things He has in store for you when you just
surrender.
