If you have driven on back roads then you can relate to getting behind a slow moving vehicle and not being able to pass because you cannot see far enough ahead. How frustrating that can be. But imagine if you will that there was a helicopter above your car and the pilot was your best friend. You get a call on your cell telephone from your friend. He tells you to go ahead and pass the slow moving vehicle. He says he can see miles and miles ahead. All you need to do is trust your friend. Will you?
In life we cannot always see very far ahead, but our Lord and Savior says, “Trust me.” What are you saying to the Lord? “No, only when I can see for myself?” Or do you trust Him? Never forget, the Lord is your best friend and nothing surprises Him. Trust Him! Our Lord says, “Do you love me? Then trust me! Give me your life!” We sometimes squirm at the very thought of total surrender to the Lord. But that is what it takes.
We do not make Him Lord. He is Lord!
God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Philippians 2:10-11
Which word is your word? Is your word and relationship with the Lord a “Commitment”? The problem with the word commitment is that you are in charge. I know because people say they are committed to a lot of things, their spouse, their job, and even their church. Even having said that, how many walk away from their spouse, their job, and their church? They control how sincere that commitment will be and many times the commitment word is just a temporary proclamation. The other word is “Surrender.” When we truly surrender we give up control. Surrendering to Christ is not a one time proclamation it is a moment by moment lifestyle. All of our possessions are His possessions, all our decisions are in surrender to His will for our lives. Because Scripture says;
Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
Jesus is not and will not be Lord if he is just an additive of your life. He is a total replacement to the way you used to live. The word of God says Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church (believers in Christ) is the Bride of Christ. When I married my lovely wife Dottie, I did not just add her to my life, putting her on the list of all the rest of the girls I had dated in the past, No! She became one with me and although we are two, we became one. I did not take her for all the conveniences. Do you know what would have happened if I took her to be my house cleaner? The relationship would have really suffered, in reality a husband / bride relationship would not exist.I think you get the point.
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this, God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. Acts 2:36
When we asked Jesus to be Lord and Savior, we surrendered total control of our life to Him. It is like we live life with a sign around our life that says, “Under New Management.” Pretty cool huh? When a person only commits to Christ what he wants to commit there are many areas of their life that are AWOL from the Lord (absent with out Leave). The Lord does not give us a “leave.” We are always His and He is always Lord of everything. Someone once said, “Unless He is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all..” There is a lot of truth in that statement,
One of the reasons people fail to surrender to Christ is that they do not trust Him. Don’t you ever be afraid to trust someone who loves you enough to die for you. I heard about an orphan boy who lived with his grandmother. He did not know what happened to his parents but although they were poor, the little boy was polite and well liked by others. One night while the little boy slept in his upstairs bedroom the house caught fire. His grandmother tried to reach him but was overwhelmed by the smoke and she did not make it and died of smoke inhalation. The little boy yelled for help but the house was now engulfed with flames and there was no way to rescue him. A stranger in the crowd, noticed an iron pipe going up the side of the house, it was very hot but the stranger climbed the pipe to an upstairs window… The little boy clinging to his neck as the mad descended down the same pipe, To make a long story short the boy ended up in the system and there was a hearing. Who would adopt this much loved little boy. A farmer came forward and wanted to adopt the boy. He said he had a lot of land and the boy could learn about the farm, have room to run and play, and he would really love him. A teacher stepped forward and he wanted to adopt the boy too. I have a great library and could help educate him, send him to college and I would really love him… Many others stepped forward including the wealthiest man in town who said he could buy the boy a farm and a library and so much more and I would really love the boy giving him what others could not. Finally, a man stepped forward in that courtroom and stepped toward the one presiding over this hearing. He looked at the boy and for the first time the little boy looked up as this man shuffled to where the boy was sitting. When the man pulled his hands out of his pockets and the mans were all scarred up from a severe burn. The boy immediately recognized the man. You are the one who saved me! You risked your life for me! At that the farmer, the teacher, many others and even the rich man left the court room…And the man who sacrificed his very life for a little boy, adopted him.
Don’t ever be afraid to trust your life to the one who sacrificially gave His for you. Jesus is our rescuer; Jesus is our Savior; and Jesus is LORD.
Pastor Bill Fix