Most of us who have come to know Jesus still have sins we are dealing with. Unfortunately, some just continue to sin with no remorse and justify their actions. How often do you stop and really think about the sacrifice Jesus made for your salvation? He left His home in Glory to enter this sin-filled world to provide us with the only way to salvation. He willingly allowed Himself to be arrested on phony charges and to be tried in a kangaroo court.
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).
He was found guilty at that unlawful trial and beaten beyond recognition. He wasn’t crucified for His own sin (He had no sin) but was crucified for your sin and mine. He gave His all to save humanity from the sin that condemns us to Hell. Today we don’t give a lot of thought about spending eternity in Hell, but it is a real place with real pain and eternal suffering. It makes sense that when someone does something for you that you cannot do for yourself, you feel grateful. Jesus saved us from eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Only He could do that, so shouldn’t we all be grateful? You cannot work to repay Him for His perfect love, but we can show our gratitude. How can you thank Jesus? The only way to show our gratitude is to surrender our lives to Him.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
Sin is a heavy weight to bear. If you are prone to telling lies, then you have to remember your lies and lie some more to cover up the previous lies. If you steal, you will face prison time. If you are sexually permissive, there’s disease that comes with that sin. Life lived in sin is a heavy burden. Why not surrender your life to Christ? You’ll be happier and healthier if you follow Him. You’ll also be doing the only thing that allows you to say, “Thank You, Jesus.”
Judson W. VanDeVenter felt the pull at his heart to surrender his life to Jesus. He was an art teacher who was also a talented musician. He loved the Lord, and friends encouraged him to leave teaching and work full-time for the Lord. After much consideration, he decided to surrender to Jesus. He left teaching to become an evangelist, and he also wrote hymns. One of his most well-known hymns is “I Surrender All.”
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
One day when Jesus was walking along with His disciples, a rich young man came running up to Him. He knew Jesus was a man who taught truth. The young man was concerned about his eternity and asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life. The young man was of the mindset that he had to work for salvation. Of course, this happened before the cross. Jesus reminded him of the commandments.
“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy Father and mother” (Mark 10:19).
These commandments all concerned human interaction. The young man was very pleased to say that he had kept these commandments since childhood.
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21).
We all have things we just can’t let go. Not all of the things we hold tight are material; some of these things are attitudes, lifestyles, or words we use. Are you filled with pride? Do you gossip? Do you use foul language? Examine your life and see what you need to surrender to Jesus. We are saved by our faith, but our walk and fellowship with Christ is closer if we surrender our sin to Him. You might even find that you have a talent, like Mr. VanDeVenter, and find a way to use your talent to glorify God.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at his feet I bow.
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Jesus showed us the way to be humble. It’s important that we humble ourselves before Him and allow Him to shape our life and attitude. We need to learn humility.
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).
One of the downfalls of humanity is craving worldly pleasure. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. When Eve had a chat with the serpent, he convinced her that God didn’t want her to eat the forbidden fruit because by eating it, she and Adam would be as gods.
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
In truth, God was protecting them from eternal death. Adam and Eve ate the fruit and were expelled from the Garden. God was right, and the serpent was wrong. We aren’t like gods, but death has been our enemy ever since. That’s why Christ entered His creation and gave His life. There will come a time when God will be recognized as sovereign by all.
“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 14:11).
It is much wiser to bow before Him now and confess that He is God rather than wait for judgment day. Surrender all to Him.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that thou art mine.
When we surrender everything to Jesus, we haven’t lost anything. We may think that if we stop living a worldly lifestyle, we will lose our worldly friends. It’s true; that could happen. You might also be the example that your friends need to give their lives to Christ. Worldly ways come with a price.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Salvation only comes through Jesus, and when you make an honest confession of faith, the Holy Spirit is sealed within you. Although salvation is much more than a feeling, there are times when it’s good to “feel” saved. Those times usually come when we have done something to please God, such as saying no to sin, or when we’ve witnessed to someone who needed to hear the Gospel. The closer we walk with Jesus, the more we feel the Holy Spirit.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to thee,
Fill me with thy love and power,
Let thy blessing fall on me.
I know that I’ve truly accepted Jesus, and I pray that His power will dwell in me. I would love to have the discernment to know if someone needs to hear the Gospel message and then be brave enough to start a conversation that leads someone to Christ. Fear is what stops me, and that fear needs to be surrendered to Jesus. I know I’m not alone. Many people hide behind gimmicks hoping a lost soul will get God’s message without actually hearing the Gospel.
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).
Use words to share the Gospel, and let Jesus lead the conversation. It will be a blessing to you and also to the one with whom you share the Gospel.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory to his name.
It would have been an amazing thing to be with the disciples on the day of Pentecost.
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1).
Just being with like-minded believers is a blessing, but what was about to happen was incredible.
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:2-3).
What joy they must have felt. Peter was there. Peter had denied knowing Jesus, but then Jesus met him on the shores of Galilee and restored his position with the others. Peter felt the forgiveness and love of Jesus deeply. Even though Peter had walked with Jesus for 3 years, he hadn’t surrendered his life to Christ. It was after Peter surrendered his life to Jesus that he was able to serve Christ. It was Peter who stood up that day of Pentecost and put any lingering fear behind him. He spoke a sermon that was neither politically correct nor seeker friendly. It was to the point and touched the souls of at least 3,000 people. What joy there must have been in Jerusalem that day! We can only feel that joy when we surrender all to Jesus.
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
What are you holding back? Think of the joy you’re missing out on by holding on to things that hamper your walk with our Lord. Surrender it all to Him.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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