Surrendering

1. All to Jesus I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
* Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
2. All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3. All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
4. All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5. All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
I Surrender All by J. VanDeVenter

When this song becomes a reflection of our lives it is amazing just how much peace, joy, love, contentment and patience we have. The winds and the storms come, but we are protected. We rest secure knowing that God will take care of us.

One of the most commonly asked questions is "Why should I become a Christian, when bad things happen to Christians just as often as they happen to non-Christians?" or, "It sure doesn't look like God protected him, and he was one of the most devout men of God I know, where was God for him?"

Those are fair questions. They need to be asked, and they deserves answers. As Christians we are instructed to be ready to answer the tough questions. We know the truth, and we need to share it.

The answer is that God is there. Bad things happen because we live in a world full of evil, and each human has a spirit that likes to do bad things. Think about it. We all take some form of perverse pleasure (even if it is just momentarily) in doing what we know we shouldn't. Bad things happen because none of us are truly and totally good. Yes, some people are more full of evil than others. The world is just so full of evil that it. The evil happens randomly, it rains and the devout and the not so devout at the same time.

God is here though. He may not keep us from going through trials, from experiencing pain, but He offers us something far better. He offers us eternal life in Heaven. When this life is over (and it going to end for each of us) we have assurance that our faith in Him translates to our eternity in Heaven. He also offers us peace and the strength to make it through whatever trail we face. Not only will He hold us through the storm, but He will make us stronger on the other side.

The peace, contentment, and joy that comes from surrendering ourselves to God makes life oh so very sweet. Each day I get up and do my best to be surrendered to God. Some days I do a good job, some days I'm not as surrendered, but I am trying. I realize how important it is, and that is the first step. At the end of my life I want to people to be able to say, "She surrendered all to Christ. He was her everything."

What do you surrender yourself to?

-JP-