May 21st, 2017

The Good of Surrender & Obedience as Prescribed by The Bible
© 2017 by M. Mitch Freeland

 
As a bookseller for many years I devoted a lot of time to acquiring the right books to build a proper inventory necessary for selling and making a worthwhile income. You could say I was a book hunter.   In the course of hunting, I would come across an array of religious books.  To my delight,  many of the book were Christian related books and Bibles. Books explaining in simpler terms the Good Book, dissecting the Bible, and its meanings. I purchased many of these books because they have value, intrinsic and spiritual value, to me and others.  Some of these books I sold and some I kept, and many of the books I planned to sell, I read before listing them for sale. The good ones, the very good ones, I kept for myself for further study.
 
I have now, a special table where these books go before they are shelved with the rest of the for sale lot. These books deal with Christianity, my faith. 
 
I want to talk today about love, surrender and obedience to God.  Do you know that you are loved?  Can you define love?  There is no greater love than the love God has for you. This is called Agapi love—a true unselfish love of putting others first. It is the greatest of loves—it is God’s love.
 
No matter what you might think, you were created by God. He is your father and He knows everything about you, everything. He created the earth and the heavens, the animals and every living and all nonliving things around you. He is a good God.  And the day will come when you spend eternity with him. But before your spirit leaves your earthly body you must strive with all your heart, with every fiber of your being to become God-like.  God wants you to realize his laws, surrender to him, have faith in Him, open your heart and follow Him by following his word.  By following the word of God you are obedient and God wants you to be obedient. 
           
The Bible tells us many things about how to live our lives. But the two things, the two words, beyond the stories, parables, and tragedies, the Bible, the word of God, tells us of surrender and obedience. To surrender your heart to Him, is to trust in the light, trust that the Lord our God, the Trinity, the Lord, Jesus, the holy ghost or spirit is the light, the truth, and the light will guide you through your dark journey on earth. For the world is fallen, this we know. 
 
The other word is obedience. By following God’s laws you are obedient. God cherishes your obedience. By being obedient, you glorify God by doing what He wants you to do. And with surrender and obedience your world will transform into a kind of world God meant for you.  Your world may not be an easy one, for the Bible says this—God does not promise an easy life.  He does, however promise that your life after life will be with him in heaven.  This is your reward for being obedient and following his word while you are on earth.  By being obedient to God’s word, you show Him your gratitude. By not being obedient, you show your contempt. 
 
The Bible is our foothold, our compass to guide us to a life of proper living and then everlasting life.  Not only does the “Good Book” answer all of our questions pertaining to our lives, living or existence, or our purpose on earth, it also lets us know what is in store for us after we leave our earthly body.  And the one and only purpose for your life is to follow God’s plan by abiding in his word, to strive for the impossible, to be without sin, to become as the son, to become like Jesus.  For Christ was obedient and sinless, this the Bible says. Jesus surrendered his body and soul to God, his Father, his creator, your creator.
 
When we follow God’s word, we are not making sacrifices, far from it; we are developing a pure lifestyle—a lifestyle filled with honesty—a lifestyle filled with understanding, patience and love.  To become God-like we must exhibit the qualities of God—the qualities of the son, the qualities of Christ. Developing your character is the most important aspect of becoming in favor with God. 
 
A great transformation will take hold of you once you make the effort, the commitment, to become God-like.  Remember, becoming God-like is not the same at becoming a God. You will never be a God. There is only one God.  But becoming God-like should be the aim of all humans.  We all have the power in us to surrender ourselves and to be obedient to God. We all have the ability, the strength, and fortitude to manage our lives according to God’s laws.  We all have the ability to follow the Ten Commandants.  We have the ability to pray, to ask for forgiveness, to be kind, to help the less fortunate.  We have the ability to be grateful.  We have the ability to be good, to not follow evil ways.  No matter how tempted we are to fall, we have the ability to straighten ourselves out from crooked paths.  Temptations are all around us and God is all around us too. It is easier to fight temptation when you know the truth, the reward for being obedient and that God is on your side.  No, it won’t be easy; but it certainly is worth it.
 
Remember this:  “God is all powerful.” The devil is powerful too, but not “all” powerful like God. So, if you really set your mind to change, you can and you will.  The spirit in you is stronger than all of Satan’s powers.  And once you set your mind and heart on God, with focus and determination, with commitment, once you surrender yourself to Him, once you decide to become an obedient servant of God, the evil in your life will diminish. Of course, there all always temptations, but you’ll be able to fight them off a lot easier with the help of God in your life. He is always on your side, you see.   All you have to do is acknowledge Him—ask and he will deliver what is right for you. You may never know what is right for you, but He does--He knows--He knows everything about you and He loves you.
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