Failing to Surrender - Jeremiah 37-39 and Hebrews 3
Surrender is a dirty word to most people. We would rather fight and be independent than surrender to anyone or anything. This tendency causes us a great challenge, because God calls on us to surrender to Him and to His will. If we don't surrender, we will not receive salvation and the benefits that go along with it.
God told Jeremiah to tell the king to surrender to the king of Babylon. If he would surrender, his life and the lives of his family members would be spared. If there was no surrender, his family would die. The king did not like the call to surrender and neither did his advisers, so Jeremiah was put in prison. He could have died, if he had not been rescued, and it was all because he called for them to surrender. How do you feel about surrender? Have you been able to fully surrender to God's will, or are you holding out, being independent? The only way to peace and joy is the way of surrender.
The writer of Hebrews told the people of his day much the same thing. He told them that rebellion had led to missing God's will and missing God's rest. Rebellion is the opposite of surrender. Rebellion comes from thinking that you can do it yourself. You can defeat the enemies. You can accomplish the task without any help. The truth is that we can't accomplish anything without Jesus, so we must surrender to Him. I know that is not glamorous, and we can't get any glory if we surrender. We don't deserve the glory. Personal glory is all about pride, and pride is sin. Surrender brings God's will and His benefits. We place ourselves in His hands, and He takes care of us. The best place to be in the world is in God's hands and under His care, and it only comes from surrender.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 40-42 and Hebrews 4.
God told Jeremiah to tell the king to surrender to the king of Babylon. If he would surrender, his life and the lives of his family members would be spared. If there was no surrender, his family would die. The king did not like the call to surrender and neither did his advisers, so Jeremiah was put in prison. He could have died, if he had not been rescued, and it was all because he called for them to surrender. How do you feel about surrender? Have you been able to fully surrender to God's will, or are you holding out, being independent? The only way to peace and joy is the way of surrender.
The writer of Hebrews told the people of his day much the same thing. He told them that rebellion had led to missing God's will and missing God's rest. Rebellion is the opposite of surrender. Rebellion comes from thinking that you can do it yourself. You can defeat the enemies. You can accomplish the task without any help. The truth is that we can't accomplish anything without Jesus, so we must surrender to Him. I know that is not glamorous, and we can't get any glory if we surrender. We don't deserve the glory. Personal glory is all about pride, and pride is sin. Surrender brings God's will and His benefits. We place ourselves in His hands, and He takes care of us. The best place to be in the world is in God's hands and under His care, and it only comes from surrender.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 40-42 and Hebrews 4.