The Surrendered Life (Part IV)

In this our final time on this subject , we come full circle - back to The Call: "If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]" (Luke 9:23, Amplified). Undoubtedly, this is a struggle for most, if not all of us, and even as we face that struggle, deep within we know this surrender is what God expects. In his book "Absolute Surrender", Andrew Murray wrote: "Do you expect that in your immortal being, in the divine nature that you have received by regeneration, God can work His work, every day and every hour, unless you are entirely given up to Him? God cannot. The temple of Solomon was absolutely surrendered to God when it was dedicated to Him. And every one of us is a temple of God, in which God will dwell and work mightily on one condition - absolute surrender to Him. God claims it, God is worthy of it, and without it God cannot work His blessed work in us."

The last sentence intrigues me, because it is heart's cry of every sincere believer for God to work in and through us. We however should not lose sight of the fact that God does not expect us to accomplish this surrender in our own strength. As a matter of fact, we cant. Murray continued: "God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you. Do we not read: "it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13)? And that is what we should seek-to go on our faces before God, until our hearts learn to believe that the everlasting God Himself will come in to turn out what is wrong. He will conquer what is evil, and work what is well pleasing in His blessed sight. God Himself will work it in you."

I believe that the desire to be fully surrendered to God have to be burning deep in the heart; we have to want it. It is as the Psalmist wrote: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (42:1-2a, NIV). Do you have that longing? Do you feel that desire?

In closing, I'm reminded of the words penned by Adelaide A. Pollard:

"Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! / Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will / While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way! / Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see / Christ only, always, living in me!"

This is my prayer. I hope and pray that it is yours.