Thursday 10 November 2011

Fully Surrendered?

John Calvin wrote:
"...if any man yield implicit obedience to God, he will receive this as his reward, that he shall walk with a calm and composed mind; and should he encounter difficulties, he will find the means to overcome them."

What a statement!  No man is excluded!  "If any man" is reminiscent of our Lord's gracious words, "If any man come after Me...."  Do you want to "walk with a calm and composed mind"? Then yield yourself to the Lord.  Yield to Him in implicit obedience.  The man who does this is sure of a rich reward - calmness and comfort as he walks through life.  Being confident that God is always good to His children brings calmness and peace that the world neither knows nor can give or take away.  Only God can give this, and He gives it to those who surrender themselves, their wills, to His sovereign purposes.

Oh what peace this gives the soul!  What delight fills mind and heart!  What contentment this brings into the soul when all around is about to give way.  What consolation fills the heart!

This is how our God rewards everyone "who yields their life to Him."  "Follow Him!  Follow Him! Yield your life to Him, He has conquered death, He's the King of Kings."  It is this God Who will reward those whose life is surrendered to Christ.

The Gospel makes personal demands on us.  Here's one of them.  Have you surrendered your life to Christ?  Have you given your all to Him?  Are His plans for you, your plans?  Do you trust Him enough to take care of you?  Dare you trust Him?

Then when the difficulties come, as they most assuredly will (we're living in a battlefield, not a playground), you will find the means to overcome them all.  It is now that we need to prepare for difficulties, not when they arrive.  Start learning to surrender yourself as fully as you know how, to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

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