Pat Morley says that many Christians have started on the wrong foot with Jesus Christ. He writes, “It is the proposition that Jesus can be Savior without being Lord. It is the idea that one can add Christ but not subtract sin. Many of us have merely added Christ to our lives as another interest in an already busy and otherwise over-crowded schedule….The Problem is that we often seek the God we want, but do not know the God who is. Many men and women I have met express complete, utter frustration about leading this kind of defeated (sometimes counterfeit) partially surrendered life–the life of the cultural Christian.”
The mark of a true disciple is a life of surrender. A disciple understands that to follow Christ is primarily about where one places his allegiance–or rather with WHOM his allegiance is given–either to himself and his temporary treasurers or to Christ and His eternal Kingdom! Morley goes on to say that, “the irony of surrender is that it ends, not in defeat, but true victory!” I have found this principle to be abundantly true in my Journey with Christ! Jesus said it this way, “He who seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life, for my sake, will find it.” It is a paradox, yet these truths have profound consequences if we follow them!
The call of a disciple is a surrendered life–a life devoted to Christ! A disciple has committed unwavering allegiance to Christ. A disciple’s commitment is to put Jesus before everything else and everyone else–including his own life. So how can one decide this? To do so, one must answer 3 questions:
1.) What is the nature/ character of the God who wants my entire life?
2.) Is living a surrendered life to Christ worth it?
3.) What do the answers to these first 2 questions lead me to do–will I trust God to lead my life?
The answers we offer to these questions will have a profound impact on the way we live. Our view about God and our willingness to trust Him completely in every detail of our lives are the foundation blocks of a life of surrender.