Vital signs- Saturday, September 5th,2020

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Surrender is a difficult word to swallow. Surrender sounds like losing, and no one likes to feel like a loser. No wonder it’s hard to surrender to God. Our human instinct tells us that surrendering to him may not work out in our favor. Maybe he’s mad at us, or maybe we’ll just lose control over what we want. But Scripture tells us that surrendering to Jesus is what is in our best interest.

God has given Jesus supreme and complete authority over all of creation. Bowing the knee, a sign of submission and loyalty, is the appropriate response to the sovereign of the universe. We see this in the relationship between kings or queens and their subjects. But with Jesus as our ruler, we know that he will treat us with perfect lovingkindness, and that his plan and purposes for our lives will always be good, even if at some moments they are difficult and painful.

God has created us, and also delivered us from the penalty and slavery to sin. He has promised us a life of freedom and fruitfulness. We have no reason to cower in fear over what submission to him will bring. He has no desire to make our lives miserable, but wants us to experience a kingdom characterized by love.

Following Jesus wholeheartedly requires submission to him. We can’t follow our own agenda and simultaneously follow him. Trying to do both will create more tension and stress. We don’t know where he will lead us, but we do know that he is good and trustworthy. And he created us for good works, which he already has prepared for us.

Now is the time to give him the reins to guide your life to the very best place, beyond what you can even imagine for yourself.

Lord Jesus, I surrender to you.

In the power of your Spirit, I will…

Go where you want me to go,

Do what you want me to do,

Say what you want me to say, and

Give what you want me to give.

For your honor and glory. Amen.