Apple dictionary defines it this way, "to cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority." In a conversation with some guys the other day, this topic came up. One of the gentlemen stated, "You know, in the military sense of the word it means to stop fighting (cease resistance) and to give over all of one's possessions to the conquering side (submit to their authority)." I like both of these definitions.
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Definition two segues right to where I would naturally go in an attempt to describe this word. I hear surrender and I think military. What do you think of? And as this word becomes more personal its applied to my life in relation to Christ's overarching reign of all, and reign over my life. So, what does surrender mean?
Most definitely it mean to cease resistance to Christ. As sinners we are ceasing to resist our greatest Foe, Christ. Because as sinners (without Christ's redemption) we are His enemy, and He ours. John states it this way, "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world ... is not from the Father, but is from the world." (1 John 2:15-16). And James proclaims, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4). So, outside of Christ we are enemies. Therefore, when Christ comes and reconciles a depraved heart to Himself through His death, burial, and resurrection, we - sinners - cease to resist our enemy and we begin to submit to His authority in our lives. But this is where it is just starting to get good.
We don't just give up. We don't stop living and become worthless due to no longer resisting God's will in our lives. We do stop fighting against Him, but instead of simply ceasing to resist, He joins us to His own forces. We quit fighting a loosing battle, we submit acknowledging Him as Sovereign, and then the glorious happens! The heavens and all power and resources of God's become ours by the nature of the perfect Christ, for He tells us, what is His is also ours! We do not just surrender, we commit treason against our former master, satan and death and join with Christ and life!
One of the mental imagines I thought of during all this was a paddler attempting to paddle his way up stream. If you have ever tried that, even in a slow stream, its not easy. But in the river of God's will, its no small or slow stream ... its the eternal flow of history from before time to eternity beyond time. Try paddling up that river. Redirect. So, when I surrendered to Christ, its as if I gave up the hopeless up stream battle, He turned my boat around and now I get to fight and navigate the tricky rapids of life. Beyond here it the analogy ceases to be of any use.
So thats surrender.
But there is more. We surrender, submit, are outfitted to battle for Christ's glory and the souls of men for eternity, but what does that look like. What is being outfitted in battle attire mean for us in our day to day lives? I think the military analogy carries us along well, still. So, what does a soldier do once outfitted? I presume he gets his orders and ships off to his outpost. At his outpost he receives arms and details defining his mission, objective, and goals. Beyond this, as is a soldier's call, he goes out willing to sacrifice his life to complete his mission. Harm's way is his path and he faces it square in the eyes and laughs at it, confident that - although there is the chance he may die - he is backed up by an entire military force. So he marches on.
I think our lives, as Christ-followers, must by necessity look a bit like this. So we are outfitted, equipped for battle with the Word, prayer, and the very presence of God tabernacling with us, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ! As we grow in Him, we understand how and where we are called, where our spiritual battle outpost is. For some it is home, the ole US of A. For others, its the darkest, evilest parts of this world. But each of us must march on confident that - although total surrender to Christ may get us killed (which is actually life) - we have been made a part of God's side, we have been made to participate with Light, and that Light, Jesus Christ has secured our victory when He defeated death! So we march on.
Day to day life, with this call to reckless abandonment in mind is what is tricky for me. I want to live totally abandoned to Christ, but there is so much in me yet to submit to Him, to be tamed and utilized for His purposes. I long deeply for the day when my pondering of Christ throughout the day lead to victory readily in the small battles of everyday life. I want to live out Pro 4:23-27, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you. Let you eyes look directly ahead and let you gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil." I think after "look directly ahead and let you gaze be fixed straight in front of you" that it could be followed by the words, "ON CHRIST!" I am growing more and more convinced that this is the only means by which I can be righteous to some progressive degree in this life. It is by living "in Christ" as Paul often writes that victory, power, and maturity in Christ come. So, as I learn, as I fall, as I gaze away from Christ, as my feet find paths to the left and right, as He picks me up again and again and again I want to grow strong in redirecting my gaze at all time to my Christ!
I march on for His grace truly is enough!
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