Christian Living

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“ Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”- Mark 8:34-35 (NKJV)
What does true surrender look like? A dictionary says that surrender is to declare yourself defeated by an opponent. Applying this to our walk with Him we could say we declare ourselves defeated by His love, defeated by His sacrifice. Jesus gave us the unadulterated image of true and total surrender. He calls us to be like Him.
We must deny ourselves. The Greek word translated as deny carries it with the idea of strong rejection. To deeply renounce something or someone. We must say of ourselves, “ I disown you, I renounce you” so that we may not deny Him. Bring Him a costly sacrifice. Pour our “ heart’s perfume” on His feet as the woman who broke the alabaster jar. She gave her all because she knew that He had and would give His all for her. Giving devotion like that to someone is a part of denying ourselves. Taking the focus away from us, forgetting ourselves and our own glory or honor and giving all our attention and worship to Him.
“ Peter said to Him, ‘ Even if all are made to stumble , yet I will not be.’ Jesus said to him,
‘Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooter crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ But he spoke more vehemently, ‘ If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And they all said likewise.”- Mark 14:29-31 (NKJV)
We all say the same. Jesus, I will not deny you, I will never renounce you! Yet we do. When we protect our own life and pride above His we deny Him to His face. Jesus restored Peter three times for every time he had said he didn’t know Him; asking him, “ Do you love me?” Love brings us back. Love keeps on calling us home again.
Here comes the best part; the finest, purest, most complete words of surrender any has or ever will speak. Imagine the Man as He was kneeling and praying to His Father when the time to fulfill His purpose for us had come. They shine today as if He was speaking them in this very instant. Read slowly and see the words welling from His heart.
“ He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘ Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”- Mark 14:35-36 (NKJV)
Surrender looks like Jesus on the Cross. Denying Himself and fulfilling the desire of His father so we could be His. What more can we say to these things? As Jesus was not His own but was bound to the will of His father, we have been bought by what He did. We are bound to His will.
When our desire becomes only for Him, we cannot help but surrender so we may have Him.
“ I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”- Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

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