Fully Surrendered

Luke 9:23  “ Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”

And so it ended—another Vacation Bible School experience for children in our community whose parents chose to send them to our church; and what a joy it was to see so many of our church family joining together to do their best in bringing the “Good News” of salvation in Jesus to the children, each using the gifts God had given them.  Singing, dancing, games, snacks, missions, science experiments, and Bible lessons—all served to bring the message of faith, trust, and hope in Jesus to the children, with eternal life in Him being the goal.
 
Through the past several years, we have had over seventy children find salvation in Jesus, and many of these children have come back in following years.  Because of this, during the past two years, we have begun “digging” a bit, asking, “Have you, since you first accepted Jesus as Savior, really let Him be Lord of your life?”  I gave the example of a past year when I was teaching third grade, when after lunch and having my spelling lesson to teach before me, the Holy Spirit overtook me and out of my mouth popped that very question, “Is Jesus Lord of your life?”  You see, I had been told by the recess supervisor that a certain group in my class had been very, very naughty during lunch break.
 
We were all surprised!  Thus began our discussion of Jesus as Lord of their lives.  What does this look like in the life of a third grader?  We talked about the ten commandments and how we could boil them down to two commands—loving God and loving people. This is just what Jesus did when He answered the Pharisee’s question about which commandment was the most important: “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-20   How could these children love God?  How could they love people?  Reading the Bible, obedience to God’s commands, praying, being kind to others, and placing others’ needs above their own became topics of discussion.
 
A number of children at VBS began to understand that even though they had asked Jesus to be their personal Savior, they hadn’t really surrendered their lives to Jesus—had not been letting Him lead their lives.  Because I brought this subject up, I had to examine my own life, so I asked myself, “Have I been letting Jesus be Lord of my life in all areas?  Is there any aspect in my life that I need to examine to see if I am living as Jesus and Scripture teach, or am I being my own “god,” deciding and doing what I think is right—where I want to be “the driver at the wheel?”  I asked myself:

• How am I honoring God in my life?  Do I truly worship Him, taking time to learn from Him by reading the Bible, meditating on His words, praying, listening for His still small voice, and applying this to my life?  Do I listen to music that honors Him and blesses my soul as well as other music I might enjoy?
• How am I caring for others in my life?  Am I building them up or tearing them down?  Do I have a genuine concern for them and reach out to them when they are hurting?  Are my words kind, filled with compassion and concern, or are they harsh and hurtful?
• Are there areas of sin in my life for which I need to ask forgiveness, either sins of commission or of omission?   
• Are my actions and ethics morally acceptable to God each and every day, or are they only apparent on Sundays or when I wish to appear righteous to others? 
• Do I live for Christ, having accepted Him as my personal Savior, daily asking His Spirit to fill me—to lead and guide my words and actions; or do I live for myself while claiming I am a Christian?  In other words, do I only have head knowledge of Jesus but never let Him live fully in my heart, so that I am obedient to His teachings and a reflection of who He is?  Will I be one of those, when I die, to whom the Lord says, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” Matthew 25:23; or, will I be the one to whom He says, 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Matthew 7:21-23

 
I call these times in my life, “Heart Checks.”  For me, they are necessary not only once, but regularly.
 
After some thought, several children this year rededicated their lives to Jesus, as did I, and as I continue to do upon occasion.  Being fully surrendered to Jesus is easy to say and sing, but the living requires a choice and effort.  I pray the Holy Spirit fill me each day, conquering the “old nature” and getting on with “the new.” 
 
VERSES:   
Luke 13:25-27  “ When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’” 
 
I Corinthians 5:17  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
 
Ephesians 4:23-24  “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

1 Corinthians 10:31  “ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
 
PRAYER:  Today, Father, I once more pray that You and only You be the Lord of my life.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that my every word and action may reflect who You are that I might be all You created me to be.  You have said, in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Help me to completely understand this and live as Your masterpiece, doing the good works you have designed for me to do.  Amen.
 
DISCLAIMER:  I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since.  How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn’t know who He is?!


These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ to grow in your heart relationship with Him.  However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other “teachers,” with God’s Holy Word.  Therein lies the source of all truth!