"I Surrender All" is one of my favorite yet most piercing hymns. By piercing I don't mean that the sound hurts my ears (although it may if I were singing it), but I mean that the message is piercing to my heart. Being a follower of Christ means constantly walking into new places of surrender, which force us to decide whether or not we will reach for selfish pursuits or surrender to the cause of Christ. Surrender is not easy or natural. It is difficult, tough, hard, and sometimes seems risky.
In Mark 10, Jesus was having a conversation with a wealthy guy who claimed to have kept all of the commandments such as honoring his father and mother and not committing murder, adultery, and theft. In 10:21 Jesus looked at him and "felt a love for him." Here was this guy who thought that he had it all together, had everything figured out, and was basically a good guy who followed the rules. Jesus felt compassion for him because he was lacking something. Jesus said, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." It was apparent that this guy loved his possessions more than anything. Jesus didn't tell every person He came in contact with to sell everything and give away their money. However, Jesus told every person that they must surrender whatever they loved more than Him. Jesus made it very clear that no one could serve two masters. To follow Him means to let go of everything else we are holding on to, and exchange our pursuits for His.
For the wealthy guy in Mark 10, he refused to let go of his love for possessions, and was saddened and grieved. He considered the invitation to follow Jesus, but the risk of surrendering his possessions to trust Jesus was not one he was willing to take. He did not understand one very important thing about surrendering to Jesus. Are you ready? Surrendering to Jesus seems risky, but there is no greater security. Jesus told this rich guy that if he would obey and follow Him that he would have treasure in heaven. Possessions provide a sense of false security, and it is false due to them being temporary. On the other hand, Jesus offers security that is eternal!
Surrendering to Jesus is the most secure investment we can make. There are two accounts in which we can invest. One is the earth where things can be destroyed and stolen, and one is heaven where nothing is destroyed or stolen. The earth is high risk with no return. One whose greatest passion is to gain earthly possessions will ultimately lose their possessions along with their soul. Heaven is zero risk with infinite return. One who surrenders everything to Jesus investing in heaven has an eternal reward and makes an eternal impact.
Jesus understands that people will have a hard time surrendering and following Him. He shared that with his disciples in 10:24. However, He said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God" (10:27). It is hard to surrender, but not impossible. It seems risky to surrender, but there is security. It seems like losing, but it is gaining life and victory through Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment