September 24, 2021: Jesus Lived a Life of Absolute Surrender to God, Are We Able to do the Same?

So many of as Christians want to live a life of "absolute surrender" to God, but we have so much fear of what we think God will call us to do. We tend to say to ourselves, "Oh, my desire is not strong enough, I am not willing for everything that may come, I do not feel bold enough to say I can conquer everything."

All God asks of us is to have a "willing heart." He will provide us the strength. We need to pray to God the following: "My God, I am willing that You will make me willing." All God wants from us is to have a "willing heart", and He will "complete" in us what we desire. If there is anything holding us back, or any sacrifice we are afraid of making, we need to come to God now, and let Him show us how gracious He is. God will not ask anything from us that He has not already prepared for us to accept. Remember what God promises us in Psalm 34:

Psalm 37:4:

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Think of the life choices that our Lord, Jesus, had to go through as He served an "absolute surrendered life" to God in His ministry here on earth. Read in Hebrews what Jesus did for us:

Hebrews 2: 17-18 (NIV) 17 For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus was very much human, flesh and blood, as we are. He suffered as we suffer every day in our life choices as He did. The ultimate gut-wrenching personal choice Jesus made was in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prayed, to God His Father, to take away the "cup" that Jesus was about to face. Here's a question for you to ponder: "Did Jesus go to Cross of Calvary "willingly or obediently?" Read the following and see:

Luke 22: 42-44

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus went "obediently" to the cross. His human emotions were overwhelming, and He did not want to go, but Jesus "surrendered His self-will" to God so that He would bring honor to Him and bring salvation to us.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

We too can serve God in the way that Jesus did. We cannot do it by our own power. It can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit working through us. We must be completely and absolutely surrendered to God. Allow God to work our complete surrender to Him. We too can come to see the powerful work God can do with our life as well.