“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
In this Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday, meditating on the word, “surrender” has been where my thoughts have been. I have awoken several mornings with the beautiful hymn “I Surrender All” playing in my heart. The title describes the lyrics completely, to live a life in absolute submission to the Father’s will is to live a life of true peace and joy. That is the gift of Easter. Jesus willingly in humble submission gave Himself to God, to allow God to complete His plan through His death on the cross. It didn’t matter what men might accuse Him of or the pain they would inflict. He surrendered all.
Jesus’s substitution for us is an absolute one-and-done. One surrender, one man, one cross, one death, and one glorious resurrection saved humanity from the deserved wrath of God. Our Lord uttered the words, “It is finished” while hanging on the cross (John 19:30). It is complete. But even Believers, fully justified by the blood of Christ, struggle with surrender. At least I freely admit, I do! The doctor’s report is not good, our children become prodigals, finances are lacking, or we are called to move and leave family and friends, the list of life’s woes is endless. The trial is life jarring enough by itself and then the thought of surrendering our control and will on top of the chaos can be terrifying. How often do we utter, “The Lord’s will be done” and as soon as we get up off our knees, we start to operate in our own battle plan? I pronounce myself guilty of the charge.
Teachings about what surrendering looks like abound. And I freely admit this tidbit is not intended to impart new, riveting wisdom on the subject. The most important, life-changing act of surrender we do is to confess we are sinners, believe Jesus died for our sins, and put our faith in Him. That is Easter! Life after that is a work in progress. In Christianese, that’s called sanctification. And sanctification requires surrender. The wisdom I can share is that when the hard times and trials come, only surrender brings peace and joy. And that surrender sometimes has to be offered up on an hourly basis to tap down the fear and get through the day. And we will fail. Only one Man got it completely right the first go around. But we must hold tight to the love that Christ demonstrated on the cross and our driving force for surrender must be love. Not for a desired outcome or a less painful road. But that Jesus loved God more than He loathed the suffering and He loves us more than He loved His own life. All hope, peace, and joy are hinged on these truths. When we ponder the person of Jesus and His sacrifice this Easter, and how we will demonstrate our love for Him? May gratitude, worship, and surrender flow from our hearts in response to His ultimate surrender. What love! What a Savior! Happy Easter! And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
The photo was taken in Jerusalem of the Garden Tomb. It is empty! He has Risen, Indeed!