Surrender

I have been thinking about surrender to God.  There seem to be a number of facets to it.  On the one hand it takes giving up our will in obedience to God.  In another, it requires our holding lightly to dearer things. In yet another, it requires us to rely on God for every need... ...it's hard to really reduce it to words.  For each facet, there is a huge benefit.

In giving up our own will in obedience to God, we will find peace and freedom and His blessings.  It requires that my will be denied, be it wrong or perhaps a legalism. Christ, who is perfect, demonstrated this in the Garden.  There, the God-Man, who knew no sin, struggled in greater measure than we can really understand, not to stop sinning, but to simply obey the Father's will at the greatest of costs.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
(Heb 2:10)

Sometimes our struggles to obey are compounded by earthly desires; not only the denial of those corrupt, fleshly desires, but also the ownership of those God-given blessings.  We, not unlike Abraham in some ways, are taken to the very end of testing, to find that God will provide, or more to the point that God has provided. 

In this way, we learn to rely on Him for every need, physical and spiritual.  He has provided for our failures, and He will take care of our every need - not because of us, but because of Him, because of Christ and because of who He is. 

God help me to remember this daily...