Embracing Trust by Joanna WeaverSample

All In

If we’re going to be true followers of Jesus, we must be willing to be led. There can be only one leader in our relationship. Only one God. Only one King. This means we must relinquish the magic wand and hand over the remote control, along with our attempts to make God do things our way.

Jesus made that clear each time someone expressed an interest in being His disciple. Rather than offering incentives or a slick presentation of follower benefits, Jesus seemed to go out of His way to discourage followers by highlighting the cost.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple,” He said, “must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Not the best lead, marketing experts would say. Nor the best metaphor, especially when crosses were used as instruments of torture by the Romans. Crucifixion was considered the very worst way to die and reserved for criminals.

Rather than softening the image, Jesus went on to intensify it. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it” (v. 24). It isn’t enough to carry your cross, Jesus told eager would-be followers. You’ve got to trust God enough to climb up on that cross and choose to die—for it’s the only way to truly live.

It’s a theme Jesus repeats throughout His ministry. It appears five times in the Gospels and another time in a discussion of end-time events in Luke 17:32–33, where Jesus warns, “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”

There’s no way around it. As Christians, you and I are to surrender. A total commitment to our lives goes beyond a white flag weakly waved in God’s direction or a shifty-eyed assent that agrees to follow Jesus but reserves the right to turn back if the going gets tough. Jesus requires total abandonment— giving up and giving over our lives to His rule.

The abundant life we need is found only in trusting God with all our hearts, going all in with Jesus so that He alone controls our lives.

According to Matthew 6:24, why is it important to surrender our entire life to Jesus? When have you seen the fruit of surrendering something to God?