By Lisa Wilmore
My Dear Friends,
In 1896, Judson W. Van DeVenter penned the familiar song, “I Surrender All”. He wrote, “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.”
According to some, DeVenter’s friends recognized his gift and talent for the ministry and urged him to pursue the call on his life. Of course, he accepted God’s calling and surrendered to His will. (https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/i-surrender-all/).
What is your “it” that you need to surrender to Jesus? What decision have you not made that stands between you, and your service for Christ?
I have often heard people declare that they want to do more for Christ. They affirm that they have a desire, but interestingly, they never move forward or toward the call God has set before them. They struggle for years trying to decide their destiny, the direction and path that God has designed for them. In reality , they will never be able to determine their true path until they have surrendered to Christ Jesus. Even though others may discern that there is a special gift that God has granted them, they are reluctant to yield to the service of Christ.
What is tugging at your heart? What has God equipped you to do that will help with Kingdom building for His glory? Perhaps God is wanting you to surrender and help young or teenage children; individuals who have been domestically abused; persons who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction, supporting children and adults when suicidal thoughts are prevalent in their minds, etc. What is tugging at your heart? Whatever God wants you to do and wherever He leads you, you will be safe. He wants you to trust Him and never doubt Him. The Proverbial writer, in the Holy Bible, declared. “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” (Prov. 29:25 NKJV).
Do not be afraid to surrender your will to His will. Whatever the Lord has on His agenda for you, once you surrender, you are in good hands. Therefore, surrender your life to Jesus and His service, in the same manner that DeVenter surrendered his life to serving Christ in a life of evangelism. Specifically, this was not his trade by his design, but it was by God’s design.
Dear hearts, before we surrender to the service work of Christ, we must surrender to the saving power of His blood. We must accept salvation from God, through His Son, Jesus. DeVenter further penned, “All to Jesus I surrender; Now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to his name.”
