It’s All About Surrender

(From the blog of journey2012.com)

by Chad Sparks on June 3, 2012 in Bible, Community, Giving, Missions, Prayer

“It’s all about surrender.”

I was raised in a home where those four words were spoken often. As an adult I find them to be true almost every day. When I have surrendered to God—truly surrendered—my perspective about everything else is different. Priorities are clearer; I live with more purpose; I find more joy in what I do; and problems are handled much better. My life is not as difficult because petty worries are seen by me as, well, petty. It really is about surrender.

I’m not specifically talking about receiving Christ and being saved. I’m assuming this has already happened to you. If not, of course that must happen first. Becoming a Christian is to be born again. If you have not yet done so, you can respond to God’s call and believe and trust Christ, asking him to forgive you of your sins. When you sincerely ask God to save you and be your Lord, it is an act of surrender. And he will answer and save! You become his child. This is a one-time and forever thing. Although no fireworks happen, you are regenerated by God. Now justified and made righteous by his grace, his work of sanctification—the process of becoming holy—begins.

Which brings me back to surrender. I have found that I need to mentally surrender to Christ each day. When my alarm sounds and I’m dragging my groggy body to the bathroom, I frequently breathe, “God, I surrender.” As I start the day, I’m relying on his grace and I say to him, “I surrender.” Sometimes when I’m really not feeling it I pray, “God, help me to surrender.” It works (and I’m not a morning person)! God’s grace and work on us doesn’t cease after we believe. This daily exercise is not original to me. Paul said, “I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Cor. 15:31). Dying to self is surrendering.

When I surrender this way, it changes much more than my attitude and mood. Like Paul might say, “When I’ve already died, even death isn’t so big a deal. I’m able to face persecution with courage.” Or as he actually wrote, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). When I have surrendered to Christ, obedience and trust in other matters come much easier. I’ve already fought and won the main battle—who’s in control. The rest are just minor skirmishes that amount to little more than academic exercises. Now temptation to lust or covet has been rendered much less powerful. Making decisions is easier because I respond according to what brings God glory. I’m not trying to please people or myself. Now I don’t get angry as easy over trivial things.

Like generosity. If I’ve already given God my self, giving away money and time for his glory is not a chore. It’s a joy.

All of the different aspects of The Journey reflect biblical Christianity. To “unsurrendered” people, they can sound overwhelming! But all of them flow naturally and joyfully from a surrendered heart. These aspects—reading and knowing God’s Word, belonging and serving in community, praying, going away on mission, and giving to kingdom causes—they are not the main point. The battle is not whether or not to do any of those things. The battle is whether to surrender.

If you haven’t, you should try it. Really.

Good Soil

It’s every pastor’s dream to hear that a sermon hits home with folks. I’m usually pretty phlegmatic about compliments and such (that’s why I don’t do the traditional greet-everyone-at-the-door-as-they-leave-church thing). It tends to force flattery.

Incidentally, I remember when I was brand new pastor in North Carolina, an older gentleman slept the ENTIRE message. As he left church he shook my hand and said with a reverent tone, “I really enjoyed that sermon, pastor.” I couldn’t resist. “I could tell you did,” I said with a grin. I don’t think he got it. I guess all pastors have stories like this.

Anyway, this Sunday’s very basic sermon evoked lots of comments. I pray this means God spoke to hearts.

We read Luke 8 about the 4 soils (a.k.a., the parable of the seed and the sower). You know, the sower is throwing seed (God’s word), which lands on different kinds of soil: hard path, rocky/shallow, thorny, and GOOD soil.

The question is, how can we be good soil—the kind in which God’s word best grows”

Before giving the answer, I’ve had to acknowledge a couple of things about American Christians in general:

First, I think it is evident that we’re spiritually weaker than previous generations. So many American Christians seem to have the same problems and failings as those in the world—many times it’s hard to even distinguish between those claiming to be believers and unbelievers. Maybe you too have struggled with thoughts like, “Does this Christianity thing even work? Why do I not feel God in my life? Why do I not love God like I once did?” Satan has lulled many to sleep, and enticed many more into sin. It’s fallow ground…unproductive soil…shallow…choked with thorns.

Second, we want a shortcut for everything. We tend to be lazy. We want pre-packaged, ready-to-eat, instant, trouble-free spiritual maturity. We want a magic pill, a quick-fix, an easy button. Truth is…THERE’S NOT ONE.

If you want growth, spiritual maturity, stability, the joy of walking in the Spirit and in the confidence of his indwelling presence…if you want the peace and many rewards of living in his will, you get it the same way as all saints from all time.

You see, God grows us by his grace. But he grows those whose hearts are good soil. Any farmer will tell you, this doesn’t come easy. Can you DO something to cultivate the essentials you need to grow?

The answer is “yes!” It’s no mystery, nor is it profound. But IT IS THE KEY. Truly spiritual people ALL share some common practices. What are the essential elements for spiritual growth and health? Simply put, there are three.

Time with God
People of God
Service to God

1. Time with God. Christianity is a not about religion, it is about a relationship with God. You cannot grow in your relationship with God without spending time communicating with him and being alone with him. This means regular time in Bible Study and Prayer. These are like inhaling and exhaling. We breathe in God’s word and we breathing out our heart to him in prayer. Communication is two-way: listening & speaking.

Bottom line: this is a daily discipline you must develop. Set aside a time each day. Get a plan (there are so many online resources like bibleplan.org if you need help with a plan). I challenge you to do this for the month of January—no miss. See what happens.

2. People of God. You need a family…the church. They aren’t perfect—but neither are you. And you can't do it alone. Two biblical environments where God’s family gather together: congregation & cell (just like in Acts 20:20).

Bottom line: Whether it is Providence or somewhere, plug in to a local church. 101 is January 25. Go to the website. Sign up and we’ll send reminder! Let us know and we’ll help you find a group!

3. Service to God. Like a body of water with no outlet, stagnation occurs if there is not a giving of yourself away. Surrendering to him means all of who you are and all you have. Acknowledging all is his is a start. Following up with practical actions is where the water hits the wheel. We all have been given talents. We all have time. We all have resources. The question is how are you giving of each of these?

Bottom line: Serve God with your time, talents and possessions. Think of ways you can this year:
• Instead of a vacation, go on a mission trip.
• Don’t just see church as a place to be fed, but a place to FEED. Use your gifts: teach, acting, tech, music, landscape, construction, goof off—whatever! Your church needs you!
• Initiate a project your Life Group can do to help people.
• Pray about and set a giving goal this year.

Decide to GROW in 2009! Cultivate GOOD SOIL! Imagine what your relationship with God can be like in a year if you develop these disciplines. You will look back and be glad you did!