Surrender – A Pathway to Joy ~ by Amy Vest

When Jesus calls us to surrender to Him, He is calling us to joy.

In giving up ourselves and our agenda, we receive more of Him and His best, abundant life.

Jesus tells us,"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  - Matthew 16:24-15

We do this first at salvation – a once and for all turning from ourselves and sin to follow Jesus as our Lord.  Then it is a daily receiving of His grace in sanctification to grow in living more and more yielded to Him in every moment of our lives.

Surrender is:
letting go of control, yielding, and releasing my all to Jesus,
letting Him be my All and King of my life,
and allowing Him lead me to and do His best in my life.

I see Him bringing me to greater and deeper surrender the longer I walk with Him – which always brings more joy, because it brings more of Jesus!  Surrender can be painful to our self (self doesn’t die easily), but the life that results is far worth it.  It is an emptying of our self and a filling with the transforming life of Jesus.

Surrender is not an option for us as Christians – Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) Following Jesus in surrender is a life like no other – You don’t want anything else!  When you know His heart, you know that all He calls us to is for our good and His glory.

Jesus only calls us to surrender our life, love, time, possessions, plans, desires, etc. so that He can give us more of Himself and His best.   

It is like Him holding out sparkling gold, when our hands are full of dull mud. 

When we resist surrendering to Jesus, it hinders our fellowship with Him and keeps us from His best.  Every time we surrender to Jesus, it brings us closer to Him.

Even this afternoon, such peaceful joy flooded my soul as I surrendered afresh to my Jesus.

It is saying to the Lord, “You and Your will are better than anything I surrender.” 

It is evidence of trust.  Trust in His heart of love that only allows things for our good and His glory, even if we don't fully understand right now.

I have learned that my life is safest in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus – the One who loved me and gave His life for me.

Jesus knows what is best.
You can trust Him.
Surrender to Jesus always leads to life - a life filled with joy, because it is filled with Jesus.