As I thought about the childhood memories of First Baptist Buna, the words of this hymn came alive in my spirit. This song was sung often growing up and revisited on occasion over my adult church experiences, but that day it seemed fresh and new. As the Holy Spirit often does, a question was conveyed to me in such a manner saying, “What does this hymn mean to you today?”
Human resistance to change is a common trait that we all battle with, but to embrace change, physical or spiritual, requires giving up something: time, egos, schedules, comfort zones, etc. The act of surrender engages, rather than avoids, the process of transformation. There is a moment in the process of personal development and transformation that is pivotal. It is the moment when WE either enter the process of change or WE avoid it. This change requires submission to God’s higher power and will rather than our own. So, what does “surrender all” mean to you? What does it require from you?
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” This difficult verse has been interpreted in many ways and may have meaning on multiple levels. In the current Western church, we don't see real physical persecution, so we generally think of "taking up the cross" and "losing our life," in a more metaphorical sense. For many Christians, the thought of true self-sacrifice, surrender, and dying to self is a concept or proposal that seems too fanatical, too extreme. But the more mature Christians will begin to love all the ways of God and find them increasingly pleasing the more that they surrender to this new path. (from immaturity to maturity), the sanctification process.
Jesus said, “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28. Jesus wanted to prevent people from starting to follow Him and then stopping later when the act of surrender became more costly than they had calculated. Expectations and demands will always shape your experiences. When you know the cost involved in following Christ, there is a better chance of completing the task. For too many live a grieved Christian life. With a lukewarm pursuit of God and His perfect will for their life, living short of full surrender. A born-again believer will never be completely satisfied until the act of full surrender to the will of the Holy Spirit becomes second nature. So, what does “surrender all” mean to you? What does it still require of you?