I Surrender All
Gordon Crook, PastorGrace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas
There is an old hymn, written by Judson W. Van DeVenter titled, “I Surrender All.” The second verse is as follows:
All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now
Thinking about these words makes me wonder what would possess a person to write such a thing. Why would someone want to surrender their entire life to Jesus? This is very contrary to the general goal of society today which is to take control of your own life, and not let anyone tell you what to do.
There are only a few reasons one might consider surrendering their lives to someone else. It might be by force. This has been the case many times throughout history. One person or group of persons forcing another to surrender themselves. It might be out of necessity. This also has happened to many through the years.
However, the best reason to surrender your life to someone is out of love. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:” 2 Corinthians 5:14 There is no doubt in my mind that God could have forced us to surrender our lives to Him. He is, after all, the creator of all things, the Almighty God. He can do anything He wants. But He does not force us to surrender our lives to Him. He invites us lovingly to do so. The offer is without equal.
The invitation God sends us is His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us. I am not sure all of God’s people understand exactly what Jesus has done for us. I am not sure we always think about what we would be without Jesus and His saving blood. “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.” John 12:26. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. The word “believeth” means “to put trust in.” Complete surrender is complete trust.
Our pride will cause us to believe that we are doing fine on our own; that we can take care of our own lives. The pace of our lives today many times does not leave us time to contemplate where we would be without Jesus, and where we would end up without Jesus. The love that God showed towards us is so great it should cause a response from us.
So, what value can there possibly be from surrendering my life to Jesus? Is there anything in it for me? This is the way we tend to think. Well, even if there is nothing in it for me, Jesus deserves my surrendered life, because he gave up His life to save mine. However, God is so loving, that He actually has everything in it for me.
God loves me, and you, so much that as we surrender our lives to Him, He offers us all that He has. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. It is sad to see so many of God’s children, who have experienced His saving grace, continue on their own way when they could have so much more by simply surrendering their lives to Jesus.
The Apostle Paul realized that he needed to surrender to Jesus. He often refers to himself as the servant of Jesus. “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,” Acts 27:23. “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,” Romans 1:1. A true servant is surrendered to their master.
We are not talking about surrendering to an evil despotic master, but rather surrendering to a loving God who only wants and provides the very best for us. Jesus told us that He went to prepare a place for us to be with Him for eternity.
I should point out that there is coming a day when everyone will acknowledge that He is Lord, but those that do so today, in this life will be partakers of the devine nature and spend eternity with Him. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” Philippians 2:10
So, what is your response to Jesus today? Are you still trying to control your own life? Are you still hanging on to things that you know He wants to remove from your life? What if you surrender to Jesus, and then you miss out on something that you were just sure you had to have? Will it be worth it?
You have to make your own decision, but I want to encourage you that it will be more than worth it. Nothing you give up for Jesus will even start to compare with what you will gain from surrendering to Jesus.
