Surrendered to Jesus

Our church and LifeGroup have been studying the book, "Not a Fan".   We are learning about surrender.  Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me".  Basically, we need to be so devoted to following Christ that we think of nothing as more important than being with Him and doing His will... Even to the point that we are ready to die because of our association with Him.

So, this morning, while reading, I started thinking of Surrender and what better song to think of than, "I Surrender All". right?  Well, maybe not... I pulled out my hymnal and this is what I read: 

All to Jesus I surrender all to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.

Ok, that's a good start but then the other 2 verses go on:

All to Jesus I surrender, make me Savior wholly Thine; 

Let me feel your Holy Spirit, truly know that thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Wait a minute, we went straight from surrender to feelings.  The part of the book I was just reading was talking about a "Snuggie Theology"... How much more "comfortable" can we get?

But, when I went to open my hymnal, it fell open to a bookmarked page (which just happened to be the next song after, "I Surrender All") and that hymn is, "Living for Jesus".  Here's what it says:

Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do, 

Yielding allegiance glad hearted and free, this is the pathway of blessing for me.

Living for Jesus who died in my place, bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace, 

Such love constrains me to answer His call, follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus thru earth's little while, my dearest treasure, the light of His smile, 

Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem, bringing  the weary to find rest in Him.

Do you see the difference?  Yes, we are called to surrender but we aren't called to just lie on the alter and bask in His glory (which is good at times but not ALL the time).  No, after we surrender, we must strive, seek, and follow.  Striving isn't just trying, striving is putting your whole back into the effort and living isn't just sitting in a pew, it's daily doing everything that the Spirit calls you to do.   

Also, the verse in Luke doesn't just say surrender and follow but DAILY... Every Day we need to lay down our lives, our desires, our goals and personal dreams and take up our cross and follow Him.

So, today, hear God's Word.  Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.