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Total Surrender |
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Peter began to say to Him, ’See, we have left all and followed You’ —Mark 10:28 |
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| Our Lord replies to this statement
of Peter by saying that this surrender is "for My sake and the gospel’s"
(10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would
get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits
that may result. For example, "I’m going to give myself to God because I
want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy." Being
delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with
God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the
true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for
any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God
only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying,
"No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me
and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase
so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ " Gaining heaven, being
delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should
never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is
a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself. Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse—"Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further" (see Luke 9:57-62 ). "Then," Jesus says, "you ’cannot be My disciple’ " (see Luke 14:26-33 ). True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it. |