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Friday, August 26, 2016

The Obedience of Surrender



Without delay I hurry to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60, GNT).

How often when instructed by the Lord do I procrastinate or even become disobedient to His command? If the Lord instructs me to do something, He expects my obedience. If He speaks to my heart about an attitude, He expects my obedience to change that attitude. If He speaks to me about something in my life that is wrong, He expects my obedience to repent and stay away from it. He expects my obedience to live a righteous life that glorifies His name, but often I, like others, can find a reason not to listen. If I am not careful, the excuses will mount to the point where my calloused heart no longer hears His voice. If I don't want to lose His intimacy in my life, then I will “let God transform me inwardly by a complete change of mind” (Romans 12: 2a, GNT),

Obedience is not an option, and it does not just happen. It is born of deep commitment to God. It certainly calls for personal sacrifice. When it is born of sacrifice, obedience speaks of my willingness to submit to God’s desires instead of my own. Disobedience stems from pride. Longing for personal acceptance by others, it says “no” when the sacrifice calls for humility. Often obedience contradicts the desires of my own heart. This is where obedience really begins–in my willingness to say “no” to me, and “yes” to God. When I put Him before everything else in my life, I discover the peace and joy found in surrender. Surrendering to the Lord's desires for my life reveals my reverence for the costly price of His sacrifice, and my surrender allows Him to transform me. “Your heart and mind must be made completely new” Paul wrote (Ephesians 4:23, GNT). Allowing Him to transform my heart and mind is where I discover who I really am. It is my greatest fulfillment.

The Lord yearns for you and for me to have an obedient heart—one that listens to the conviction and direction of the Holy Spirit and follows His will without argument. He longs to hear, “Without delay I hurry to obey your commands!”  No hesitation in obeying His will–no delay in laying down our own “rights”. Are we pliable in His hands? Do we allow Him to mold our life or are we rigid and unyielding? To discover the fulfillment that a surrendered life brings, we yield and become pliable in His grasp. His sure and constant pressure brings forth a beauty of character that is unsurpassed, and a life that joyfully and consistently experiences peace. If we surrender we will be able “to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect” (Romans 12:2b).

 Lynn Hampton Lacher

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