Surrender

I’m a stress eater. When things in life and ministry are crazy, when I feel like I’m losing control at work or at home, I eat. It makes me feel better. I makes me feel better because when I can’t exercise control in other ares of my life, I can have free reign over what I eat! While I may not be able to be finished with the work project, I will be able to eat that cheesecake! This sort of thinking gives me comfort especially when I feel like I don’t have any say or influence in other ares of life.

What is it inside of us that compels us to exercise control over our lives (and even the lives of others)? We all experience it. We are all guilty of  telling other people what they need to do and how they should do it (and what we tell them is usually motivated by our own selfish interests and ambitions). Similarly, we all have people in our lives who are constantly telling us what we should be doing. We want control! Our heart posture cries out, “It’s my life and I should control it!”

In light of this, it’s interesting to think that the Bible mandates that all authentic believers surrender their lives entirely to God and Jesus. That’s a scary thought. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24–25, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow mw. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The model for true Christianity is not that Jesus is just a counselor, or friend. He is those things, however, those roles are secondary to the central role of Jesus in the life of hte believer as Lord. This is evidenced in his very title: “Jesus Christ“. Christ, in Greek, means KING.

The logic of this is rooted in the fact that he has exchangd his life for ours and because of his sacrifice, we no longer live for ourselves, but we live for him. This is what Paul means in Galatians 2:20 when he says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is not longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I find in my own life that I love the idea of Jesus being my savior, but I’m not as keen on the idea of Jesus being my Lord. The problem with this is that one doesn’t come without the other. In order to enter into and maintain a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, he must be King over our lives. This means complete surrender to the work of Jesus in our lives and through our lives.

Are you completely surrendered to Jesus? The answer to that question is the simplest way to assess where we are in our Christian life along with our spiritual maturity.

As I mentioned not long ago, the Lenten season is quickly coming upon us. I also mentioned that the time of Lent for Christians is a time for introspection through fasting and prayer. My challenge for each of us is to make the following question the central point of reference for our individual introspection: “Lord, where in my life have I failed to relinquish control to you as my Lord and King?” The Holy Spirit will be faithful in answering that question as well as extending to us his power to actually surrender to Christ the King.