I Quit - Pt 3

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV). Today we are continuing in the little series concerning surrender. I have chosen to go to one of my favorite, and most often used passages for our reading. We have all heard these verses quoted at one time or another; however, I wonder if we have taken them seriously? I read the story of a congregation enthusiastically singing I Surrender All, when the pastor observed that if they were being honest, most of them would have to change the words a bit and sing “I surrender most” or even “I surrender some.” While the foundational principle in our passage today does not directly concern stewardship, I couldn’t help but pull an illustration from the lottery buzz. I am writing this devotional a day before the drawing for a $1.4 billion prize! Don’t get hung up on the right or wrong of this method of taxation. We can discuss that at another time. Here’s what I want you to remember. In all of the interviews I have seen of potential winners, the folks who are standing in line to purchase their tickets, I haven’t heard one person say they would give any of the winnings to their church or a favorite charity first. Oh, church and charity make the list of some folks, but only after their needs are taken care of. It makes me think of what our real concept of surrender might be. I’m not talking about money or tithing; this deals with a much deeper principle than that. That pastor may have been right. We can surrender some, maybe even most, but surrendering all is much more difficult. Well, God does not call us to surrender only part of ourselves to him. He calls for complete surrender. The term “living sacrifice” is a powerful appeal and somewhat of an ominous expression at first glance. It is a complete presentation of ourselves to God. It means that we devote ourselves to him with all willingness. This encompasses every aspect of our lives. It is rendering to God all that we are and all that we have. True surrender doesn’t just pick and choose those parts of ourselves that we feel like giving him. He wants all of us, not just a portion of our lives, not a small fragment of our time, not merely a fraction of our possessions. Selective surrender isn’t real surrender. If you want to be a living sacrifice, you can’t say, “Lord, you can have my heart but not my head, my voice but not my hands and feet.” You can only say, “Lord, I surrender all.” It is a process that beings with our thoughts and spreads throughout our lives to our beliefs and actions. It changes our questions about life from “what?” to “why?” Ponder a bit today on why you are who you are and why you do what you do. The answer might be incredibly powerful and transformational.