Surrender to God

 Jame 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The word surrender is not found in the Bible, it is a word normally used in battle when someone gives up their right to fight, and they become prisons of their captors. “Surrender to” is defined as a complete abandonment of oneself entirely to someone or something. Both definitions describe the word “Submit.” Much has been said about surrendering our heart, our lives to God. The term, “Sanctify yourself” used in the Bible also has implications of surrendering. To be set apart, to be used by God. We surrender all our hopes, ambitions, dreams, and wishes to God, and allow Him to use us in any way He pleases for His kingdom. We surrender our desires, and offer everything we have to God, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,”(Roman 6:13). When we consecrate ourselves to God, we have surrendered the life we have been living and have dedicated ourselves to serve God in whatever capacity He desires. We give up the old life of sin and present ourselves as a living sacrifice. Some would see this as giving up our freedom to do what we want to do. But the way of the transgressor is hard, and all that live in sin are in bondage to the flesh. As Christians, we are told to submit our lives daily to God, pick up our cross and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Satan will tempt our flesh (members) to fulfill the lust of the flesh, but as we submit ourselves to God, and resist the temptation of Satan, he will flee. For the heart totally surrendered to Christ is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live unspotted by the world.

The Book of Life

Rev. 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Names in the book of life are inscribe there when we confess our sins through Christ, and give our hearts to God. But scripture seems to indicate that it is possible to have our names removed. What a tragedy to have walked with God and to have known forgiveness of sin to end life with your name no longer found in the book of life. In that great judgement day, the books will be open, and our names will be called. “Enter in thou good and faithful servant”. Words that will ring out through eternity. Keeping our names in the Book of Life requires that we be overcomers. An overcomer is someone who has yield their lives in full consecration to the Holy Spirit. One who walks in the Spirit and depends wholly on the power of God to resist temptation, using the shield faith to deflect the darts of the enemy. An overcomer cannot do this in his own human determination or strength. It is not by works that we are saved, but by His grace. His grace extends to where our will allows God to work. Keep your name in the book of life, say yes to the will of God. 

Christian Perfection

Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in Heaven is perfect.”

What does it mean to “Be perfect” I read in a devotional this morning:

“it’s not possible to have perfect motives. We love the Lord and others, but our motives for how we live the Christian life are sometimes mixed with our desire to be valued or praised.”

This author’s opinion is that being perfect does not mean that we can always do things with a perfect motive. Jesus, the God-Man who walked this earth tells us that it is possible to be perfect. Is it possible to always make choices with the motive to please God? Can a Christian not always seek the Kingdom of God first in the way they behave, act, or react? As human beings, we live in a broken down human body that  are subject to the elements of this world. We make mistakes, our bodies grow weary and often our judgment in the choices we make our influences by the state of our mind when it reaches it’s limitation of handling stress. But is it not possible, when we have full control of our faculties to make choices with the intentions of always pleasing God? I believe that Christian perfection, the work of sanctification can give a person a heart that is always perfect toward God. Paul writes in the book of Romans to give yourself as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our service to God. It is this consecration to God and the infilling of the Holy Spirit that allows a person to always make choices that are perfect in the sight of God. Let us asked ourselves, Why do I do the things I do? Let God examine our heart and determine weather they are perfect before Him.

Giving Back

1 Chron 29:14, 17 “..For all things come from Thee, and from Thine own have we given Thee… As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things;..”

Hold loosely to the things of this world. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave it with nothing. From dust we came and to dust we will return. God has made us stewards of what we have. He has blessed us with life and strength to provide food and shelter. The things we have will fade away with time and only that done for Christ will last when this life fades away.  The things we have are given to us by God, He is our great provider. We take what He has provided and the desire of our hearts is to give all things back to Him. We consecrate our life to Him in full surrender to all we have. It is more than just giving back the temporal things of this world, but the greatest offer we can give Him is the offering of our life. He blesses us in many ways, and my heart is grateful and willing to give back to Him anything He desires.