Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” —Mark 10:28
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.
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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
As I look at my own motivations to be a better person, to be a man after your own heart, to do the right thing … I see that they should all be good “side effects” of the core motivation of having an intimate connection and relationship with you. (First Commandment) But when I set out to achieve those good things directly … I wind up running amuck, getting on various treadmills, getting into comparison and measurement and other things that kill the intimacy that I was seeking. How do I stay on target and not get lured into short cuts that get me off track?
You can try all you want to be a better person, many people have, the Pharisees surely did, but with the fallen nature of the world, including your own heart, that will never lead to the wonderful life that I have for you. Only total surrender will get you off the squirrel cage of performance and striving. On the other side of surrender is where the light burden and easy yoke are.
Matt 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Surrender like that is easy enough to say, but harder to really walk out. Help me today to surrender at this level and find the easy yoke and light burden that you offer.
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