by Rick Warren Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but
laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and
becoming like men. Philippians 2:6-7 (LB)Everybody surrenders to something or someone in life. If not to God, you'll
surrender to popular opinion, to money, to resentment or fear, or to your
own pride, lust, and ego. We were designed to worship something, and when we fail to worship God, we
create gods (idols) to surrender ourselves to. E. Stanley Jones said, "If
you don't surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos." You're free to
choose what you surrender to, but you're not free from the consequences of
that choice: "So give yourselves completely to God" (James 4:7 NCV). Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing
else works. All other approaches lead to frustration, disappointment, and
self-destruction. The King James Version of Romans 12:1 calls surrender "your reasonable
service." The Contemporary English Version translates it: "the most sensible
way to serve God."Surrendering your life is not a foolish emotional impulse but a rational,
intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with
your life. Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God: "So we
make it our goal to please him ..." (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV). Sometimes it takes years, but eventually you discover the greatest hindrance
to God's blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself - your self
will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You cannot fulfill God's
purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. If God is going to
do his deepest work in you, it will begin with this.So give it all to God: your past regrets; your present problems; your future
ambitions; your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts, and hang-ups. Put
Christ in the driver's seat of your life and take your hands off the
steering wheel. Don't be afraid; nothing under his control can ever be out
of control. Mastered by Christ, you can handle anything: "I am ready for anything and
equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me. I am
self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency" (Philippians 4:13 AMP). You may worry, "What if I stumble or relapse?" If? You will stumble in pleasing God! No one can live a perfectly
surrendered life except Jesus. But God has provided for the inevitability of your sin: "If you do sin,
there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the
one who pleases God completely" (1 John 2:1 LB).
laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and
becoming like men. Philippians 2:6-7 (LB)Everybody surrenders to something or someone in life. If not to God, you'll
surrender to popular opinion, to money, to resentment or fear, or to your
own pride, lust, and ego. We were designed to worship something, and when we fail to worship God, we
create gods (idols) to surrender ourselves to. E. Stanley Jones said, "If
you don't surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos." You're free to
choose what you surrender to, but you're not free from the consequences of
that choice: "So give yourselves completely to God" (James 4:7 NCV). Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing
else works. All other approaches lead to frustration, disappointment, and
self-destruction. The King James Version of Romans 12:1 calls surrender "your reasonable
service." The Contemporary English Version translates it: "the most sensible
way to serve God."Surrendering your life is not a foolish emotional impulse but a rational,
intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with
your life. Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God: "So we
make it our goal to please him ..." (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV). Sometimes it takes years, but eventually you discover the greatest hindrance
to God's blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself - your self
will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You cannot fulfill God's
purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. If God is going to
do his deepest work in you, it will begin with this.So give it all to God: your past regrets; your present problems; your future
ambitions; your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts, and hang-ups. Put
Christ in the driver's seat of your life and take your hands off the
steering wheel. Don't be afraid; nothing under his control can ever be out
of control. Mastered by Christ, you can handle anything: "I am ready for anything and
equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me. I am
self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency" (Philippians 4:13 AMP). You may worry, "What if I stumble or relapse?" If? You will stumble in pleasing God! No one can live a perfectly
surrendered life except Jesus. But God has provided for the inevitability of your sin: "If you do sin,
there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the
one who pleases God completely" (1 John 2:1 LB).
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