"So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan." –2 Kings 10:28-29 (NIV)
“Jehu accomplished great things for the Lord and the kingdom of Israel, but his compromise led to another vile form of idolatry. In the end, his disobedience overshadowed his accomplishments as a leader.” –John C. Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible
As Christians, we should give everything over to God. In fact, when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are doing exactly that: giving our lives over to Him. However, oftentimes what may happen is that, while we initially give it over to Him, we take some parts right back out of His hands.
A popular praise song called “I Surrender All” can give an illustration of this. To sum it up, the song says, “All to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” I recently thought about this song, but initially prevented myself from actually praying it to Him. I had reservations. I’m not sure that I had anything specific that I was saying, No, I’m not going to give that to You. But sometimes the thought of giving everything over to Him can be overwhelming.
While I sat and meditated on that, though, I came to the realization that I need to give it all to Him. Whatever I don’t surrender to Him is ultimately going to fail and most likely result in pain and distress. Going further, we should realize that God’s plans are for our benefit! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)
As leaders, we need to surrender everything to Him and let Him lead us. That in turn allows us to lead others more effectively and for His glory. We need to be servant leaders. In Luke 22:25-26, Jesus says, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” (NIV) We should submit to God, the Ultimate Leader (as Maxwell puts it). Then He can help us lead others.
Renowned leadership expert John C. Maxwell asks: “What idols do you need to remove from your life to give your all?”
I think that the overall thing that that question points to is simply this: Self. It is in our human nature to want to be in control. However, it is much more beneficial if we relinquish that desire of the flesh and surrender to God, our Creator. Jesus even said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24, NIV) No matter what the struggle may be, it ultimately comes down to denial of self to take hold of Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2).
That being said, it will not be easy. However, within the problem lies the beauty: Jesus will be right there with us, for He has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (See Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5.)
We should pray this:
Father, I surrender everything to You; I put it in Your hands. I know that You are in control, no matter what may come my way. Help me to first follow You, and then help me to lead others. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
God bless you!
I Surrender All
