Unconditional Surrender

If I am in a vehicle, I much prefer to be the driver.

When watching TV, I like the remote control next to me.

I am much happier as a solo practitioner, than I was as an employee or even a partner (which I was for most of my life.)

I like to think that God is my Co-Pilot.

I guess you could say I have control “issues.” I believe I am a control freak.

This makes the concept of surrender a difficult one for me. It’s not much consolation that I’m not the only one. or that control freakism is rampant. There is great anxiety in our country now principally because most of us feel things our out of control: the economy, politics, national morals. It is no consolation that these things have been out of control for most of my 61 years. There is no worse feeling in the world. than loss of control.  The feeling is almost universal that things are “out of control.” It is also no help that “control” is mostly an illusion. We are never really “in control.”

It is no wonder that we give but lip service to the spiritual concept of surrender to the Lord. We say we “gave our life to Christ” or we “surrendered” to Him; but it is a very conditional surrender. At best He is our co-pilot; there if we need Him. We expect Him to be quiet and unobtrusive when we feel we are in control. And even when we are out of control, we don’t put Him in the pilot’s seat, we just keep our Captain’s hat on and ask him to correct the deviation from our course. We would never think of having Him set the course.

This is so far from the unconditional surrender of control that will bring us true meaning and peace if we are ever willing to give in. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. 

There is plenty of reason for surrender:

 

For Deliverance from our burdens “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest” ( Matthew 11:28 )..

For Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . . ” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and (Philippians 4:19 

For Death. This is the complete purpose, surrender to death all of the old man to get all that is new; give up all that is yours to get all that is Him until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.

And after you surrender— then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.

Acknowledge He is the pilot. It is His plane. And be blessed.

Nick