Jesus, I Surrender AllSample

The Cross and Self-Denial

As time goes on and we continue to walk with Jesus, He begins to, one by one, knock at the door of each of the closed-off rooms in our house. Rooms where the door is locked, and we are sitting alone in our mess, unwilling to surrender control. Take heart that Jesus is standing on the other side of the door, patiently knocking, waiting for us to let Him come in. He desires nothing more than to come in and transform this area of our life into His image, but He will not force His way into the room. The question becomes, will we walk over to the door, turn the knob, and let Him come in? Will we surrender or choose to tighten our grip on control? At this point in the process, the decision lies squarely with you and me.

John Calvin described this decision beautifully when he said, "For as the surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves so the only haven of safety is to have no other will, no other wisdom than to follow the Lord wherever he leads." It may seem odd to think about giving up complete control of every area of your life as a haven of safety. But this is precisely the vision of the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus presented to His followers in the Gospel of Matthew when He said, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." (see Matthew 16:24-25) As counter-cultural as it may be, there is safety in surrender.

So what exactly is Jesus offering to you and me if we are willing to surrender our lives to Him and the advancement of His Kingdom? He is offering to exchange, not just enhance, the ruined condition of our hearts for a life found only in Him.

Our path out of the darkness is only possible through a surrendered heart that is continuously transferring control over to Jesus. As we transfer control in each area of our life - each room in our house - over to Jesus, He transforms us into His perfect image.

Today as you go, consider offering up the following prayer to Jesus. "Lord, thank you for continuously pursuing me in the areas of my life that I have been unwilling to surrender to your will. Fling open the door of my heart that every area of my life might be renovated into Your image. And through Your grace help me to daily take up my cross exchanging my life for the path that You have laid out before me."