Surrender

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Surrender is a word no one likes to hear, yet it is a necessary aspect of the full Christian life. If you have been a Christian for any length of time you probably DOCTRINALLY agree with the above verse, but the question Christ has for us is whether we FUNCTIONALLY believe it?

Does our walk match our talk?

If not, you are not alone.

I know there are plenty of theological beliefs that my sin nature violates regularly. We all do, if we are honest. Perhaps we have most of our outward actions under control, but what about our thought life? We may speak and respond well, but does our mind mirror what we voice?

This discussion isn’t just to make us feel guilty. As a Christian, it should feel normal to do a daily “self check” to admit where we fell short and repent. As Martin Luther famously said, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.”

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12)

None of us arrived – it is a daily process to keep our hearts in line with what our mind knows.

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(DISCLAIMER: I read several sources, commentaries, devotionals, etc., when I study the bible. Some of what I write is heavily inspired by what I read, and some sections may not be all my own words. I try to distill and paraphrase but there are way too many great writers who know the depths of God’s Word more than I ever will. I try to give credit where possible, and I don’t want anyone to think that everything I write comes straight from my brain – it’s all inspired by God and others He has chosen to write through. I encourage you to look to those who have also studied and written about Scripture, while at the same time remembering they are only men, and the ONLY true standard is the Word of God – everything written by me or any other human MUST be measured against that standard.)