Surrender: Finding Freedom in JesusSample

Following Christ’s Example

Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (v. 7)

Human examples of surrendering to God, like the apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and Jim Elliot, are wonderful. But the perfect model and example of surrender is Jesus Christ.

His coming to earth was in itself an act of surrender. Our reading today describes the humility that God showed by becoming human. Jesus continued to surrender throughout his entire life, for his top priority was to accomplish the will of God. Finally, he expressed his surrender in the ultimate way as he gave his life on the cross. He willingly and gladly gave himself up to bear our sins so that we can inherit eternal life. It is only because of Jesus’s sacrifice, his surrender, that we are saved.

Looking at the life of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, what we see over and over is that he surrendered through the act of serving. As he himself put it, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

Since our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5 NIV), this is a lesson that we should apply to our own lives. Living a life of surrender to God means following Christ’s example. It means imitating him in our own acts of service to others.

As you pray, thank Jesus for his selfless acts of surrender, and ask him to help you follow his example.