Surrendering to God is a very prevalent idea amongst Christians. It can bring an exasperating feeling. When you think you have given up things for God’s sake and given away things as well, costly things, and still you hear a voice saying you need to surrender to God. I wanna tell you right here that is NOT GOD!
Most of us are so conditioned by our pseudo Christian culture that we do many unnecessary things and believe many silly things as a result.
What is behind this surrender idea? A false view of God. Here is that view…
God is a despot sitting upon a throne demanding strict obedience. God expects each one of us to lay down our lives and everything we love to do for Him. God demands perfect obedience. God demands all your devotion and time. God expects perfect attendance at church services. God expects to receive your tithes and offerings. God expects your worship….oh and if you will do these things you will be happy.
Let me throw in a few more…
God expects you to love your enemies. God expects you to take up your cross daily, go the extra mile, sell all you have, forsake all you have, love Jesus more than anyone else, though Jesus is not to be seen. God is very demanding so you better start surrendering to Him.
You may be offended by my writing by now but if you are still with me let me explain. Did not Jesus tell us to do those things? It would seem that He did.
We miss something very important and that is: Jesus could do nothing of Himself. Jesus did not take responsibility for pleasing God. God does the works. Jesus abides in Father. Now as soon as you read “abide in Father” immediately many ask themselves am I abiding in Jesus? So they are thinking that it is their responsibility to make sure that they are abiding in Jesus. Abiding and surrendering.
But the truth is that YOU are abiding in Jesus my beloved friend. How can you be anywhere else other than in Jesus? The loving Father found you and drew you to Christ. When you came to believe in Jesus God applied the wonders of the Cross to you. God put you to death and raised you up in Jesus to newness of life in the Spirit.
That is your permanent place of rest. You are in Him. In Christ.
Where is Jesus Christ? He is in the Father. In the heart of the Father.
Where is the Father? In your heart!!!
Jesus said, In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in Me and I in you. Jn 14:20
To believe that statement is full and complete surrender.
When God saved you He did not expect you to be able to do anything that Jesus said you should do.
Love your enemies.
Only God does that. How? Through people of course. But is it really love if we go out to our enemies with the thought…”Right today I am going to love my enemies.” What that is is someone who thinks of themselves as being separately responsible to obey Jesus. The one who knows John 14:20 knows that they are totally unable to love anyone…it is not up to me. I am just going to be myself and trust that Father living as me does whatever He does. I am not going to try to love anyone. Do what you want to do in every moment trusting that what you will, and what you do, is the Fathers good pleasure at that moment.
Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he does.
Jesus came to live in you to be you! He really is your only life. And remember He Himself does nothing of himself…but Father does the works. In other words just be you. In being you, you are being God to others.
Thinking of yourself as a separate person from God who must obey God’s commands somehow….gives rise to the idea that you must constantly surrender to God.
Nothing of the sort! You died on the cross. You have already laid down your life and taken up His cross. You and Jesus are one. The life He lives is your life. The death He died is and was your death. Now consider yourself to be dead to sin and alive to God. That means God is alive in you. God is abiding and being Himself in you….just as you are…full of inability, fears, doubts, failings….God is happy, pleased, at rest in your heart.
We hear the preacher say: “Surrender to God!! Die to yourself!!” This is a false gospel that denies the work of the Cross.
You have already died…and already surrendered to God when you believed. You are no longer an enemy of God but friends. Not one part of you is an enemy of God. Faith says so. Your flesh was crucified with Christ. You have become a sharer in the divine nature. Jesus lives in your heart by faith. You are abiding in Him.
God has a hold of you more than you realise. He has not left you an orphan, He has come to you , to live …not only in you…but as you. Jesus said in Jn 14:20 that you will know that I am in my Father and you in Me and I in you.
“you in Me” means everything that Jesus is, we have been fully submerged into…joined to..made one with in complete and perfect union.
“I in you” means that everything you are..Jesus has been completely submerged into…joined to..made one with in complete and perfect union!
Jesus has become you and you have become Him….just enjoy Y/your life, God is pleased with what and who you are…how can He not be? You are His child, His creation. You are not naughty….you are as Jesus is in this world. 1 Jn 4:17
