Saved or Surrendered?

Saved or Surrendered? 4-24-2025

It is always glorious to me when an individual makes the choice to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I am saddened by those who choose to deny or reject Him. All Christians have that person in their lives whom they desperately want to see saved. There is a loved one, perhaps, a neighbor, a good friend, and even those we meet, who our heart's desire is for their salvation. As Christians, we want everyone to experience salvation and have the assurance of eternal life.

My husband, grandson, and I went to a concert a couple of months back. One of the three artists was Ben Fuller. He shared his testimony with the gathering and held up his Bible. I am going to paraphrase, but he told us that when you are saved, in his experience, people congratulate you, shake your hand, present you with a Bible, and then, most of the time, you are on your own. There is no manual for salvation and what comes next. Oh, people will say the words that "Your life has changed," or "The devil will come at you hard, be ready." But most of the time, what happens next in your life is up to you.

You see, when you are saved, there should be an outward expression of an inward transformation. 2 Corinthians, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Most of the time, for most people, this occurs and is noticeable for a while. Then in marches the devil in full force with his full arsenal, and the temptations are stronger than before. As a new Christian, you are expected to put away old things, old ways, old habits, language, and viewpoints, and your life should change. The Holy Spirit resides within you and guides you on a new path. Too many times, we have the will to do good works, change our lives, and work for God. Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Then comes the time we are faced with giving up or moving away from something or someone we are holding on to. This could be anything that we want that is coming between us and our relationship with God. This might even be your desire to still go out with friends, watch some of the same TV shows, read some of the same books, language that you have when you are with certain friends, and even certain friends. The choices are the difference between being saved and surrendering to God.

True surrender requires daily communication with God to form an intimate bond with our Father. When we surrender, everything becomes His. Our lives move from "me" to "Thee". We seek His guidance, His will, and His voice. We begin to look at the world through a Christ-centered lens. We learn to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and heed the direction and warnings. We put away those things that were once appealing to seek a life pleasing to the Lord. Being saved reminds me of the first steps of a baby. 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." A baby takes those first steps, then begins to walk. As we walk with Christ, we are strengthened by His knowledge and grace. Then, as a baby becomes comfortable with walking, he runs. This is the part I love. As I have learned to surrender myself to the Lord, I find myself running to His open arms. I run to Him in times of joy and sorrow. I run to Him in times of difficulty and struggle. I run to Him in the valleys and climb to Him on the mountains. I rush full on into those arms, and I find myself running toward Heaven. Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."