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 forany 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.
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, we spoke about this last week; how total surrender is a concept foreign to our nature and culture. We spoke about how your promises turn everything upside down. We receive by giving, we live by dying and we are victorious when we surrender. But Lord is so hard to let go entirely….until we have nothing to hold onto, this side of You. That is where most of us surrender, inside the roaring sea of turmoil and trials. We hold onto the pier as long as we can, until we must let go and be swallowed up by your love, mercy and grace.
And God says…”I loved My own Son beyond anything you can conceive, and surrendered Him up for you. I allowed the pain and suffering to engulf Him and then…just when the enemy and everyone on earth thought He was overcome by His most pain filled surrender, He arose; just like you arise from your sea of turmoil and pain, when you totally surrender. I gave My only Son to the pain of the cross, so He could be victorious, so I give you up to your pain and suffering so you too can totally surrender….and find victory like you could never imagine.”
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