Tag Archives: surrender to God

It’s Not What I Expected

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Luke 2

There is so much about the birth of Jesus that amazes me. For one, the number of prophecies fulfilled that day and the days surrounding that glorious event. Mary and Joseph understood the significance, of course – at least in part. The angels certainly got it. The shepherds and wisemen had special revelation and they worshiped the infant Christ.

But today, Luke’s account of Simeon and Anna concerning the eight-day-old Jesus spoke to me. They took one look at this tiny baby and recognized Him as the Messiah. They’d been waiting for the Savior their whole lives. But so had every other Jew at the time.

So why did these two old folks see Him when everyone else seems to have only seen the baby of a financially strapped couple? Why didn’t the whole temple erupt in praise to God for the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, God’s Son?

I think it was because Simeon and Anna had surrendered their own expectations and focused on God. It may have seemed strange to them that the Messiah didn’t just appear from heaven in battle armor, trained in the intricacies of war, ready to lead an army against Rome. That was most likely the common belief of the day. But those who held on to that belief missed the most incredible occurrence in history.

Simeon and Anna were ready for the unexpected blessing because they hadn’t put God in a box of what made sense, or what their short-sighted vision expected.

God will not be put in a box. He will not limit Himself to do only what we can imagine. God moves in unexpected, creative, and supernatural ways. How many times do we miss unexpected blessings because we are only looking at the situation and at the solution we want? How many times do we miss unexpected blessings because it’s not what we expected?

Don’t miss the hand of God today. It will move in ways you cannot imagine. Keep your eyes focused on Him, surrender your expectations, and then pay attention. The hand of God moving in your life will knock your socks off!

Expect it.

I’ve Got Rights

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Matthew 5:29-30

Paul tells us we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. I think Jesus is saying the same thing here in these verses.

I’m all about submitting my heart to God. I truly want to be salt and light, separate from the world, wearing the righteousness of Jesus, and pointing others to the saving grace of God. But I don’t think I’ve ever really considered what that should mean for my physical body.

Oswald Chambers in his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount (Oswald Chambers Press, updated 2016), points out that it’s easy to give up bad things for the sake of our spiritual lives. Yet God asks us to give up good things, too, and that might not be so easy.

We know our society is “rights” focused. Often our “rights” are exactly what God wants on the altar.

I have a right to drink alcohol. I have a right to get drunk. I’m an adult. I have a right to go to R rated movies. I have a right to sleep in on Sunday mornings. I have a right to eat as much as I want. I have a right to over-eat. I have a right to piercings and tattoos. I have a right to have consensual sex with anyone I like. It’s my body. I have a right to support abortion and transgender causes. I have a right to work two jobs to provide luxury for my family.

Not all our rights are bad. Some are more easy to surrender than others. Yet God says we are to surrender them all. Our relationship with God is not just spiritual. It’s physical, too. It’s this flesh and blood body surrendered to God, giving Him all rights to use as He sees fit.

Sometimes He asks us to “cut off,” or “gouge out,” some things for the sake of our spiritual, eternal life. Sometimes it hurts.

Chambers ends his commentary on these two verses with this:

“…are we prepared to give up the best we have for Jesus Christ? The only rights we as Christians have is the right to give up our rights.”

Think about that for a second. God wants us to give Him all. I think that includes mind, body, heart, and soul. I think it includes our right to our hands and our eyes, our homes, our families, are talents, are finances, our health, our future. A.L.L.

In fact, and here’s what hit me today as I read Chambers’ opinions concerning this whole cut-off-your-hand-and-gouge-out-your-eye thing. This is another quote from page 32. I’ll leave you with this:

“If we are only willing to give up wrong things for Jesus Christ, we should never talk about being in love with Him.”

True Happiness

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1 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 9, Ecclesiastes 1-3

You read about Solomon’s life and it’s tempting to think he had everything a man could dream of. Wealth that mirrored that of Bezos and Musk combined, he lived an indulgent, lavish lifestyle. He married 700 women and kept 300 more on the side. The man knew how to throw a party.

But when you read Ecclesiastes, you hear the voice of an empty man. You hear disillusionment and bitterness. You hear regret.

How can that be? Don’t most of us think that if we could just win the lottery, or earn that next million, or if we had power and popularity we’d be happily fulfilled? We certainly wouldn’t sound like Solomon, would we, if we had everything we ever dreamed of?

Solomon did what so many do – he thought he could ride the fence. He thought he could have one foot in the world following his own desires, and one foot following God. He found out you can’t be obedient and disobedient at the same time. You’re one or the other. Solomon was disobedient, and you hear the word “meaningless” repeated over and over when he’s describing the results of his choices.

My friend, your effort to “find yourself,” or “take care of yourself,” or “do what’s best for you,” will result in the same meaningless existence. Solomon knew (although we don’t see him ever surrendering his “self”) that :

without (God) who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness… (Ecclesiastes 2:25-26)

Solomon tried to find meaning on his own, apart from God, even though he knew the answer IS God. Knowing it, and surrendering to it are two different things, apparently.

Solomon would tell us today that you can’t “find” happiness. True happiness and meaning and enjoyment of life is a gift from God to those who choose obedience. And, dear ones, it doesn’t get better than that!

Where Do You Go?

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Deuteronomy 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Life can be really hard. Where do you go for rest, for encouragement, or strength? Where do you go for refuge? It would seem that we can find those things in ourselves, if you listen to the current hype out there. Maybe you can. But why would you want to when there is something better?

I sit here today wondering why I don’t run into the arms of the eternal God more often. Why do I think I should be able to handle certain things without bothering God? Why do I start my day, hitting the ground running without first seeking refuge in the eternal God?

I think it’s foolish to neglect the privilege of shutting ourselves away with our loving Heavenly Father, the Eternal God who longs to wrap His everlasting arms around us. That’s where we find rest, encouragement, and strength. We don’t have to throw our shoulders back and force those things in us. The eternal God showers us with all that and more as we surrender to His everlasting arms.

Have you spent time in those arms today? Have you allowed Him to speak to you through His own Words as you read the Bible? Have you talked to Him in prayer, just the two of you tucked away from the world?

Do it.

Big Deal

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Exodus 24

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel went to a dinner party hosted by God. (24:9-11) They saw God, which would normally be a death sentence. But God was merciful. They enjoyed dinner with the God of Creation, and lived to tell about it.

Now I would think that having that experience wouldn’t be soon forgotten. I would think it would change a person, cement belief in and result in obedience to this gracious God. Many skeptics say they would believe in God if they could see Him. These guys we read about today not only saw God up close and personal, they spent time with Him up there on that mountain.

I’ve read their story before and, sadly, this encounter with God did not prevent them from later denying Him. I’m sitting here shaking my head and wondering how that could be.

I see it as a warning.

An encounter with God, a mountain-top experience doesn’t necessarily indicate a relationship with Him. We try so hard to manufacture an experience in our worship services. We aim at a mountain-top experience. But is that the same as encouraging and nurturing a relationship with God?

It is not.

All those guys got out of that encounter with God there on the mountain was a good meal. Their bellies were full. Big deal.

We can sit through a rocking worship service, emotions soaring, tear flowing, hands clapping. Our hearts are full. Big deal.

What I see here in Exodus is that you can encounter God and leave as empty and broken as when you came. The missing elements in this story are repentance, submission, commitment, and the first step toward a relationship with the God whose presence they had just enjoyed.

Oh, that our churches would understand the difference. Because it is a big deal.

It’s Not Acceptable

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Leviticus 10

It’s hard to read about the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons who dared to worship God by their own rules. But it serves as a reminder how seriously God takes worship. We must worship Him in spirit and in truth. We must worship Him with clean hands and hearts.

Sin cannot worship God. And we cannot hope to worship God while sin is in our hearts, I don’t care if you raise your hands and work up a sweat dancing in the aisles. That is not a sign of true worship. Oh, the person caught up in the moment may be truly worshiping that way, but only if they have dealt with their sin first and are worshiping in spirit AND truth. The simple act of looking like a worshiper, doesn’t make one a worshiper.

After Nadab and Abihu were killed, the people worshiped God flat on their faces. I’m pretty sure they weren’t told to have a smile on their faces. And I doubt they were having a good time.

There are many examples of what worship can look like in Scripture from dancing in the streets to tearing clothes and shedding sorrowful tears. But the one thing all of these examples of worship have in common, the one thing that expresses true worship, is hearts surrendered to God, washed clean, pure, holy, and ready to worship.

Worship any other way is worship by someone else’s rules. It’s just not acceptable.

I hope you plan on going to church tomorrow to worship your Savior with fellow believers. But lets’ stop trying to produce an emotional experience in worship. Let’s be sure we all are worshiping from hearts cleansed by the blood of the Lamb according to God’s rules.

(Psalm 84) Is Happiness Even Possible?

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Who doesn’t want to be happy? The psalmist tells us where true happiness originates. He sets the stage in verse two:

“I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.”

What is it you long for? Money? Success? Relationships? Self-awareness? Health? How is that working for you? The psalmist will tell us that those who long to know God, to walk with Him in a right relationship, those who are not satisfied with a casual relationship but desire all that God is, find their happiness in Him.

“How happy are those who reside in your house, who praise you continually.” (verse 4)

Happiness comes from constant communication with God. Happiness comes from knowing God never leaves, never forsakes, and is continually blessing those who love Him. Happiness is found in praising God for who He is, what He has done in the past, what He will do in the future. And happiness comes most preciously when our focus is on God continually. When Paul and Silas praised God while chained to a prison wall, God showed up, didn’t he? He still shows up when we praise Him.

“Happy are the people whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on a pilgrimage.” (verse 5)

Verse 6 tells us that is true even when we are walking through times of sorrow and pain. The lies we believe about finding our own strength, about thinking we need to handle things on our own, that we are capable and powerful, contribute to the unhappiness so many people feel. Because the truth is, you aren’t strong enough all the time. And that’s ok. God is! The psalmist tells us if our hearts are set on the “pilgrimage” of knowing God and looking forward to heaven, if we surrender our wills to His, we will go “from strength to strength.” (verse 7). We can consider God our “shield” according to verse 9 as we look to Him.

“Happy is the person who trusts in you, Lord of Armies.” verse 12)

It doesn’t say happy is the person who is living a peaceful, successful, trouble-free life. In fact, the psalmist calls God the Lord of Armies because this is war! There will be trouble. There will be hardships and disappointments and illness and loss. There will be temptation and sin and consequences. But happy is the one who trusts in God, not in himself, not in science, not in religion, not in good deeds. Happy is the one who trusts in God. Period.

Jesus said, in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” (emphasis mine)

May you be truly happy today. It’s possible.

(Joshua 11-15) Move Right In

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All of those cities had been built and were inhabited by men, women, boys, girls, grandparent, aunts, uncles. Yet all of them refused to bow to God. They had heard about Him, how the Jews had crossed the Jordan, how the walls of Jerico tumbled. They just couldn’t let go of their pretend gods, even when faced with the truth.

Not all of them were killed at the hands of the Jewish soldiers. Some were merely driven out of their homes and towns. They lost everything they’d worked for, everything their parents had worked for. Their gods could not save them.

The Jews who knew God, walked right into those towns and went house hunting. They moved into homes they did not build, took over businesses they did not start, enjoyed the comforts they didn’t earn. Is that fair?

The big picture here is God. Any of those residents of those towns could have at any time surrendered to God and been dealt a different hand. It was their stubborn refusal that brought about that judgment. What they had built, using their own devices, could not withstand the hand of God.

The same is true today. Many people have built themselves a comfortable existence, worship who and how they want, refuse to submit to God, and are ok with that. But just as the people of the land had done, they have created a life that cannot last. Those ancient people had lost it all, as will any of us who refuse to surrender to God. Be warned.

On the other hand, the Jews who had submitted to God received blessings from Him they didn’t deserve. And so have I. I don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy, His forgiveness, His Presence. I haven’t earned a second of His favor. But He gives it to me because I have surrendered my life to Him.

The fair thing would be if I was made to pay for my sins, as the ancient people we read about today paid for their’s. I’m guilty. I sin. I’m no better than the rest. But Jesus loved me enough anyway to go to the cross, pay what I owe, and freely gives me Himself when I surrender to Him.

The reality is, the Jewish people moved right into the land God had given them. In a very real sense I did, too. They went through the water of the Jordan. I went through the blood of Jesus. But that which is on the other side is blessing after blessing.

My prayer is that you have surrendered to Jesus and know what it is to live in the Promised Land of His Presence and blessing. If you haven’t, I pray you will do that today. Understand that what you are building your life on apart from Him will not withstand the hand of God.

Surrender your life to the God who loves you enough to die for you. Then move right into to a relationship with Him and enjoy what Jesus paid to give you.

In Reverence for God (Nehemiah 1-5)

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While leading the Jews to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah found out the nobles and officials had been overcharging the people in taxes, and charging high interest rates on loans people needed in order to pay those taxes and also to buy food for their families during the famine. When Nehemiah confronted them they didn’t even try to defend themselves. They knew they were guilty.

Nehemiah asked them an important question: “Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?” (5:9) Shouldn’t misrepresenting God to non-believers cause you to fear Him?

The guilty nobles and officials promised to reimburse the people they had cheated.

Nehemiah pointed out that former governors had placed a heavy burden on the people with high taxes, and demands for luxurious living for themselves. The people remembered how hard life had been under their rule. And as Nehemiah was using himself as an example of how to treat people fairly, he said in verse 15:

Out of reverence for God I did not act like that.

I feel God asking me this morning if I’d dare set myself up as an example of how to treat people. And if not, why not?

Shouldn’t I walk in the fear of God? Shouldn’t I live my life out of reverence for God? If I really did that, I would have no reason NOT to tell people to imitate me.

Nehemiah reminds me unsaved people are watching me. I believe non-believers judge Christians by the choices I make. I believe their opinion of God is influenced by how I represent Him.

This morning as I sit here and think about this passage, I am considering what living with reverence for God looks like here in 2020. I think it involves both love for God and fear of Him. It involves service and worship, kindness and obedience, honesty and purity and courage and humility and surrender. It means standing out in a crowd, and standing up for Truth.

I want to live my life out of reverence for God, and I want Him to get the glory. I want to live my life out of reverence for God, because anything else is not what He deserves.

June 2 – Everything

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Song of Solomon

When I read Solomon’s Song I can get caught up in the flowery words between the lovers. Their’s is an intense, consuming love. But I have to admit I often chuckle at the imagery. Hair like a flock of goats? Teeth like ewes (but thankfully none are missing), a belly like a heap of wheat, and a nose like the tower of Lebanon? Not very flattering if you ask me.

If I get caught up in the details of this beautiful book, I miss the point. It occurs to me that the things the lovers used to describe each other are valuable things, expensive things. They are things needed to sustain a person, to bring comfort, to provide for every need and pleasure. The things they used to describe each other are, well, everything.

That’s what God wanted me to see today. The love these two share means everything to them. Literally everything.

God loves me like that. He loves me with every fiber of His being. He sees me as beautiful, and treasured, adored. He loves me with all his strength, nothing is held back. Not even His Son.

Can I say the same about my love for God? What makes Solomon’s Song so beautiful is that the lovers feel the same about each other. That love is the most important thing to both of them.

I am convicted as I consider what I might be holding back from God. Do I open myself up to Him and offer Him everything? Or do I hide a relationship behind my back, keep my finances out of His reach, hold on to my pride?

I want a relationship with God as intense and honest and complete as Solomon’s was with his bride.

My Loving Bridegroom, I am Yours. I recognize that You love me completely, totally, intensely. And I want to love you like that, too. So here I am, Lord. My arms are open. My heart is open. Nothing held back. It’s all Yours, and I give it with all the love I have. My family, my future, my past, my today, my finances, relationships, dreams, my health… everything I have or hope to have, everything I am or hope to be. It’s all Yours, Lord. I love you with everything.