Disciplines From the Cross: A Holy Week DevotionalSample

Surrender

Today we will ponder on the last saying of Jesus on the cross found in Luke 23:46: “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.”

This is nothing but surrender. From the taunts and jeers of cynics to the crucifixion and death brought by ignorant people, Jesus surrendered everything to the Father—everything! He did all this for His Father, whom he loved. Remember John 14:29-31. Therefore, God highly exalted him. This is what he did because the Father sent him to do this, and He surrendered completely to the Father’s will.

Let's talk about surrender. Surrender is leaving to God the hard consequences of a life of sacrifice and service. It may mean a life of injustice and inequality. One can fight it, or one can surrender to it. It depends on who you think is going to "eval" the whole thing at the end. Injustice and inequality, judgment and criticism, sickness and disability—you either fight it on your own or surrender it to him. Surrender to God's plan. Surrender to God's purposes. Surrender to God's goodness and trust it into God's hands. Trust the outcome of the life he has called you to live rather than fighting it. It means accepting from God's hand the bad with the good, trusting that all things will work out together for good. That's surrender.

Jesus said, "Into your hands, Father, I surrender. I submit my spirit. I commit my spirit." Brothers and sisters, surrender is seeking God's glory in heaven—the glory of God in heaven more than anything that we can get here on earth, anything that this world has to offer. And Jesus did just that by hanging on a cross; he sought the glory of God in heaven more than his own comfort from the agony of being on the cross, more than God's salvation of Him from the cross, more than God removing the pain and suffering, making his life on earth any easier. He sought the glory of God, and that is what surrender looks like. You begin to live with the hard consequences of a life surrendered to God. It means that you stop asking, "Why me? Why do I go through this?" but rather, "How can I use this situation to live for the glory of God?" You begin to accept the good, the bad, and the ugly as all part of God’s sovereign plan and purpose for your life—not just because the verse says so, but because God makes it that way, and Jesus did just that.

My friends, our greatest assurance, our greatest peace comes from the rock-solid truth that the work on earth is done. It is paid in full. The greatest life ever lived has been lived. Let's make a habit of daily surrender. For from dust we are, and to dust we will return.

All that matters is our eternal fellowship with God the Father. All that matters is eternity—our eternal wealth, our eternal life and well-being. Take cognizance of your spirit. Take into consideration the health of your spirit, the condition of your spirit. Take seriously you as a person who's going to live forever. Your body, your thoughts, your time on earth, your accomplishments, your degrees, your learning, your experiences, your hurts, your pains—all of that will pass away, and they will be a blur. What matters is your spirit. And when you commit to God your spirit as Christ did, everything that is your experience here on earth, your reality here on earth, you are leaving the consequences to God and saying, "Lord, you deal with this. This is happening. You're letting it happen. You deal with this. What's important is who I am and whose I am. I commit myself to you. I commit myself to living a life that puts this front and center."

Take a moment to think of what this will look like in your life. Don’t make it a general statement like, "Yes, all outcomes are taken care of by God for his glory." But think about how will you be more intentional in practicing your surrender to Him daily? Say it out loud; declare it daily: "Lord, I submit my life to you!"

As we wrap up this week of devotions, a week of Christ's passion must result in a life of passion for us. Don't you think? Interestingly, passion means pain or suffering—the agony of the man seeking to live by the Spirit.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the gift of salvation that we received through your Son. We thank you that your sovereign plan and purpose has eternal significance. Help me, Lord, to surrender each and every aspect of my life into your hands. Help me to be a channel of your blessing to others around. May people around me come to know about you through my life. Fill and empower me with your Spirit so that in any situation you put me through, I know that you will not forsake me and leave me. I thank you for that reassurance that my spirit is saved for eternity. Help me live for the glory of your name alone. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.

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