“In a real sense, faith is total surrender to God.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The kingdom life is available to every human being on the planet. The challenge is that it takes total surrender to live in the kingdom and follow Jesus. Believers tend to come to faith and only wish to surrender the worst of their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Every devoted follower of Jesus Christ is seriously impaired and crushed by life before their surrender. Submitting our worst is only a beginning because God doesn’t just want our worst; God also desires our best.
Overtime we willingly hand over our worst defects but want to hang on to the stuff we deem reasonable and rationalize our decision to do so by saying things like “it’s not hurting anyone.” Jesus says this about the good, 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell (Mark 9:47, NIV). Haven’t you heard that the good is the enemy of the best? Friends, we need to pray for the willingness to surrender everything over to the Lord, including our best and our worst. So we can become immersed in the kingdom of God and receive all of the hidden promises and rewards made possible only by surrendering it all over to God, including our best.
Scripture Readings
Reflection Questions
- What did you take away from today’s reflection and scripture readings?
- What are the hurts, habits, and hang-ups that you have been entirely ready for God to remove?
- What are the good things we need to surrender over to God?
- Why do you resist turning your best over to God?
- What is in your life that you need to pluck away to follow Jesus fully?
- Why does God want our best as well as our worst?
Prayer¹
My Creator, thank You for this warning to eschew all that is evil and sinful from my life. I pray that I may do only those things that honor Your name. Lord, I know that in my own strength, my fleshly works will be burnt-up like filthy rags in Your holy presence. Still, I thank You that You have prepared good, spiritual works for me to do, which will stand the test of Your purifying fires when carried out in the power of Your Holy Spirit and through Your sufficient grace. May I live and work to Your praise and only do those things that are righteous in Your sight and for the honor of Your holy name – this I ask in Jesus name, AMEN.
Lou Sutton says
Total Surrender!! Turn it over!! Say, I Love you as much as I can, the time is limited here on earth, and when there gone it’s to late to tell them in person! God Bless!! Amen!