DISCUSSION:
Our Lord replies to this statement
of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s”
(10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get
out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may
result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be
delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin
and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender
resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of
Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at
all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from
Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I
want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I
want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ‘This is what God has done
for me.’” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to
God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender.
Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ
Himself.
Where does Jesus Christ
figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us
will desert Him with this excuse—“Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family
needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke
9:57–62). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ‘cannot be My disciple’” (see Luke
14:26–33).
True surrender will always go
beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to
embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by
our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most
of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly
experienced it.
O Lord, cause my intellect to glow with Your Holy Spirit’s teaching.
APPLICATION:
Discuss ways we can totally surrender to God without
wanting anything for ourselves