What Do You Surrender?

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all
All to thee my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

Whatever type of Christian you are, or even it you are not a Christian, you are probably familiar with or have at least heard this hymn. This is the dedication Christ demands. But what are you surrendering and who are you surrendering to?

And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Luke 9:58

We are like Pope Innocent IV when he invited Thomas Aquinas into his chamber to count a large sum of money and said. “You see that the Church is no longer in an age in which she can say, Silver and gold have I none?” “It is true, Holy Father,” replied Thomas Aquinas, “nor can she now say to the lame man, Rise up and walk!”

America is filled with churches which love the world system rather than loving the Father. They have organizations which require money to pay staff, repair buildings, advertise, broadcast and many other things which are not evil in and of themselves. They establish budgets which are reasonable when set up, but require other sources of revenue when the expenses continue or rise but income falls.

This is a great test of faith. We do not need to be a pastor of a mega church or run a large university to face this test. A single mother with children to feed can face the same test. This is when we must surrender something to continue.

The woman who turns to prostitution to feed her children is condemned as a great sinner, turning from the Faith. But the university president, evangelist or pastor who fails to proclaim the whole council of God and ignores certain sins because preaching against those sins will offend certain wealthy supporter is committing spiritual adultery.

But perhaps the greatest sin today is ignoring the Word of God and it’s teachings to satisfy our own lusts. Those lusts might be cooking or hobbies or just talking with friends. We do not want to know what God’s righteous requirements are because we are too busy “doing our own things.”

“Do not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. I John 2:15.

What are you surrendering and who are you surrendering to?