My Sweet Surrender to God’s Game Plan

I keep thinking of “The Lion King” and the circle of life theme that runs throughout the film. Right now we’re in a different kind of loop. It’s more like a Bermuda triangle. But it has four sides rather than three. In this current scenario I’m focusing on my sweet surrender to God’s game plan.

If you read the fine print of many shampoo bottles, you’ll find instructions to lather, rinse and repeat. I’ve always wondered whether shampoo companies want to sell you more product so they tell you to wash your hair twice, or if it really takes two rounds of cleansing to get the job done. Marketing or meticulousness? It’s a hard call. Like dirty hair, we need cleansing too.

Sacrificing Ourselves

The starting point of our loop involves sacrifice. We are sacrificing our freedoms, our provision, our privilege and our time for a higher good. Our freedom to move about and to enjoy many of the pleasures of our world are curtailed. We might have lost income or are giving charitably and sacrificing abundance. As it should be.  So provision is being altered. The privilege to travel, congregate, be personally groomed by another – all of these are restricted now to some degree.

Sacrifice is a hallmark of the life of Jesus. He sacrificed His very life and declared His kingdom “not of this world.” He sacrificed comfort, pride, relationships, freedom and more. His sacrifices serve as a model for us.

None of us approach that divine level.  But we please God whenever we try to be more like Jesus. He tells us in Matthew 25:40 that when we meet earthly needs, “whenever you did it to one of the least of these, you did it for me.”

Surrendering to God’s Will

In our humanity, we love to stand up for our rights. The Bill of Rights. It supports the right to assemble and many other freedoms.

But if we belong to Christ, we uphold the greatest commandment. It puts other’s needs ahead of our own. Our freedoms are less important when viewed in that light.

Paul tells us in Colossians we are to “die with Christ to the basic principles of this world.” He  warns against us being taken captive “though hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” So when we give up our personal freedoms to benefit another, we then do it with the right heart motive. We are pleasing the Savior and putting the needs of others before our own. That lines right up with the greatest commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself.

Being Sanctified By His Grace

As Christians, we need to repeatedly cleanse ourselves from all unrighteousness. When we take stock in our thoughts and behavior, we “have been weighed on the scales and found wanting ‘ as we read in Daniel 5:27. But, thanks to the blood of Jesus, we’re washed clean. We’re as white as snow. We must continually repeat the process. In the pandemic, when hand washing is a part-time job, purifying our hearts and our spirit to make it right with God is critical. I’ve experienced a handful of epiphanies in the last four months. But the one that stands out the most is the depth of my sin nature. It’s much more pronounced than I previously realized. Nothing like spending a month or two under God’s microscope to help you identify your shortcomings.

I’ve learned in this point in time that God  is ready to show us some stuff. But we must sit still and really listen to Him. We read in James 4:8 that we’re to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. I now know my pandemic heart needs as much cleansing as my pandemic hands. Admitting that is no fun.  Repentance is my much needed antidote.

I’m dancing the two step now. First, I’m asking God to cleanse me from unrighteousness so we can create a clean heart. Then I can commune with Him and confidently sit in His presence. Receiving repentance and forgiveness at last brings sanctification.  Only then are Christians ready to serve God and carry out His kingdom work.

Serving And Pouring Out

God gave us each a set number of years. They are allotted to us so we can bring others into God’s forever family. We are the hands and feet in the body of Christ. We bring different gifts to this God-sized task. But if we don’t regularly purify ourselves, we can’t be sure of our right heart motives. And we need to be clean vessels to be filled with the the right stuff to be of service. God tells us in Psalm 51:10 that He needs to “create a clean heart” and put “a right spirit within us.” Only then can we be “filled with all the fullness of God” as we are promised in Ephesians 3:19.

We are told that the “new wine” that we become when we are born again must be put into “fresh wine skins” so both the new wine and the vessel that holds them can be preserved. Paul also writes about “being poured out as a drink offering,” meaning that he was willing to offer himself up until nothing was essentially left to accomplish God’s purposes.

Paul perfectly emulated Jesus as he spoke of his approach to this. Jesus, when instituting the last supper with His disciples, offered up “His body and blood.” Though most are not called to this level of sacrifice, we are called to serve others just as Jesus did when He “came not to serve others but to be served and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Sacrifice in the time of coronavirus

Sacrifice in the time of coronavirus will look different for each person. The ability to respond will differ depending on the margins of emotional energy, abundance and provision, and God’s calling on each person’s life with regard to their gifts and storehouse. But that response is also dependent on attitude and a desire to cooperate.

As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers, to foster harmony and build a strong sense of community. Where there is more of Him and less of us, this scenario is far more likely to flourish. Join me in lathering, rinsing and repeating these steps in persevering for the long haul in the pandemic. Get ready to sacrifice, surrender, be sanctified and steady ourselves to serve with our whole, clean, undivided heart.