I Surrender Some
Some to Jesus I surrender, some to Him I freely give. I will sometimes love and trust Him, in His presence sometimes live.
I surrender some. I surrender some. Some to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender some.
I bet you never sang that one in church, but many of us truly live that way. We’re willing to give up a few hours every week for church but not our mornings to spend time with God.
We’re willing to let go of our money to tithe to our local church but not give to a neighbor in need.
Perhaps we will give a little time to sing in the choir or sit on some committee, but we won’t give up a Saturday football game to go serve someone who needs help.
Our faith is not about what we do; our faith is about the God who has changed us through His saving grace. But when He changes us we have new desires, new interests, and new hearts that want to follow after Him.
And following Jesus means that we surrender to Him not just as our Savior but as our Lord.
What does that even mean?
I Surrender Some
Well, to be saved we must acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9, NIV 84
The Greek word kyrios means “lord, master; a master of property or slaves” (The NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance, G3261).
A lord is someone who has power and authority over another.
When we come to Christ and accept Him as Lord of our lives, we are waving the white flag of surrender. We are giving up trying to control everything ourselves, admitting our sinful nature and our inability to live right apart from God.
We tend to think of surrender in terms of being losers. Waving the white flag seems to be admitting defeat, that we have been beaten, that the battle is over, and we lost.
But in God, it’s actually so much better than that. Jesus has won the victory and we are surrendering to the King who reigns with power, majesty, and glory! We are giving ourselves to Him as loyal subjects because He is the King who reigns over everything.
We are admitting defeat: We can’t live a righteous life apart from Him.
“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'”
John 15:5
We are admitting loss: We give up everything to follow Him.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'”
Matthew 16:24-25
But we are coming under the authority and rule of One who loves and cares for us and who has already won the victory for us for all eternity! Anything we lose for His sake is nothing compared to what we gain in Him!
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.”
Philippians 3:7-8a
Just as a slave is under the authority of her master, we place ourselves willingly under the authority of Jesus. We do so because we have acknowledged in our hearts that He is God. By His very nature, He is good. And through His sacrifice He has demonstrated that He is love.
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Romans 6:22
So, let’s ask ourselves: Who is ruling me?
Who is the master of my heart?
“Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.”
Colossians 3:1, 15
Is my heart set on Christ, or do I stay focused on myself? Do I allow my heart to be envious, easily offended, or unforgiving? Or do I swallow my pride and ask God to help me overcome sin in my life?
Let’s ask God to search our hearts.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24
Who is the master of my mind?
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2a
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Romans 8:5
Do I think whatever I want about myself, God, culture, politics? Or do I align my thoughts with what the Word teaches, having a biblical worldview?
Let’s ask God to give us His thoughts.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
Who is the ruler of my mouth?
Hard one. It’s really difficult to let the Holy Spirit control our speech, but words have such power.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29
“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
James 3:6
Do we just say whatever we think with no filter, or do we speak with spiritual wisdom and maturity? Our words have the power to build up or tear down, so a mouth surrendered to God and His purposes can be of great value to the body of Christ.
Let’s ask the Lord to sanctify our lips for His glory.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
Who is the ruler of my resources (time, money, body)?
Do I spend my time and money as if they are my own, or do I surrender them to God for His use and pray over those choices?
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17
Do I treat my body as if it belongs to me, to use for my own pleasure or selfish gain? Or do I balance worship, work, rest, and healthy choices so my body will bring honor to God?
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Let’s ask God to lead us in how we spend all that we have.
The good news is that God disciplines those He loves. If we recognize some area that we have not surrendered to His Lordship, all we have to do is come before Him with humility, repentance, and acknowledgment of His authority in our lives.
When we are the ruler and master of our own hearts, minds, mouths, and resources, we forfeit so many of the blessings of God in our lives.
But when we surrender to Jesus and let Him be our Master, we will walk in the blessings of being daughters of the King.
So, go ahead and sing that song like you mean it.
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