Surrendering to God

Philippians 3:12-14 (LSB) 12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Do we spend countless hours looking at and watching other believers, feeling like they have it all together in their walk with God, while our relationship with Him seems weak and impotent?

Does it seem like we never reach a point where we feel satisfied with that relationship?

This is something we all wrestle with from time to time.

We look at others, comparing ourselves to them, when God wants us to look to Him instead of comparing ourselves to others.

We are each created uniquely. No two of us are the same.

We all wrestle with different things. We all have different weaknesses and strengths.

And our walk with God will reflect this as we work our way through the things that God is teaching us.

We must understand that none of us will ever attain perfection on this side of heaven.

There has only ever been one perfect Man; Jesus Christ.

And that Man (God in the flesh) died in our place on the cross, so we aren’t burdened with working to perfect ourselves in the flesh.

Jesus promised us a Helper; the Holy Spirit who would guide us into all truth. And it is by following His leading that we draw nearer and nearer to Christ.

It is not our responsibility to seek or work to try to attain perfection.

Instead, it is our responsibility to follow Jesus closely; closely enough to allow Him to change our heart, transform our thinking, and direct our choices and actions.

It is in this that our life will begin to take shape as His disciple, not to become perfect, but to live in a way that pleases Him.

That is our goal; pleasing Him

And remember, even the Apostle Paul spoke plainly in the verse above about this in his own life, proclaiming that he had not “laid hold of it yet”.

We must not seek perfection. But we must seek and develop a willing and submissive spirit.

Amen 🙏🏻

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Matthew 27:45-46 (LSB) 45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Sometimes the concept and truth of Jesus being a full-on human being is hard for our minds to grasp.

He was, after all, Immanuel, God with us.

He was God, yet He was man.

His in-body human experience was full, not partial. He was born as a man and spent roughly 33 years walking the earth, showing us who God is through His words and His actions.

He felt everything that you and I feel in our lives; joy, pain, laughter, suffering, temptation, discomfort, weariness, and betrayal.

He proclaimed to everyone that He did only what His Father showed Him to do and spoke only what His Father told Him to speak.

John 12:49 (LSB) 49 For I did not speak from Myself, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.

Jesus also wept, showing His human side in a way that every other human being can relate to.

But His most human, vulnerable moment was shortly before His death, as He cried out the words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Not long after, He spoke one last time and then surrendered His spirit up to the Father.

Luke 23:46 (LSB) 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

You see, Jesus was fully surrendered to the Father. This was His example to us, His followers.

We must not just attempt to mimic His words or His behaviors. But let us truly surrender ourselves to God in a way that carries weight, rendering us as bondservants of Christ, wholly committed to Him in everything we do.

Amen

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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John 20:24 (LSB) 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He showed Himself to some of the disciples at different times.

Some disciples who were not present to witness the resurrected Jesus in the flesh had to rely on the hearsay of others.

Thomas was one who had not yet seen Jesus with his own eyes. And he was skeptical, to say the least.

In fact, he insisted that the only way he would believe that Jesus was alive was if he was able to physically place his fingers in the wounds that Jesus received during His crucifixion.

This was a bold proclamation on the part of Thomas!

John 20:25 (LSB) 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, Thomas had that opportunity as Jesus entered a room, despite the door being shut and locked, and stood in their midst.

John 20:26 (LSB) 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus also went on to say something that implies something that is easy to miss.

John 20:27 (LSB) 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand here and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Jesus used the very words that Thomas had spoken to the other disciples, despite not being there to hear them.

The words He spoke proved who He was; God in the flesh, Immanuel.

And it impacted Thomas instantly in a life-changing way.

John 20:28 (LSB) 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas experienced a redemptive moment; a split second in time where he wholly surrendered to the risen Jesus, God with us.

May we all experience a “Thomas moment”; a point in our lives where we see our faults and failures, falling on our knees before God, crying out, “my Lord and my God, I am wholly yours” 🙏

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

2 Corinthians 5:15 (LSB) 15 And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

If we are truly a follower of Christ, our lives should display evidence of this fact.

To genuinely follow Christ requires sacrifices on our part.

No, we don’t work for our salvation. But we do grow and mature as a believer.

If we are not growing and changing, we may want to check ourselves; ask if we have truly surrendered to Him, or if we just went through the motions and recited a prayer based on pressure or human emotion.

You see, even though salvation is freely offered to us, there is a cost.

It cost Jesus everything.

And though it is freely offered to us as a gift, it is implied that when we accept that gift, and we embrace it personally, it will genuinely change us.

And part of that change will be learning what it is that God asks of us.

Jesus addressed this topic plainly in this verse:

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Following Him requires that we deny ourselves; set aside our own wants and desires and allow God to teach us what it is that He desires.

This takes some adjustments on our part. And it may be difficult from time to time, especially when we are a new believer.

But as we begin to submit ourselves to Him, we learn the value of humility. Then surrendering becomes easier, and the discomfort first associated with it fades away as our submission turns into genuine love for the Father.

We encourage you today to submit to God in everything you do. And watch as He changes your heart, transforming your life each day, a little at a time.

James 4:10 (LSB) 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Acts 4:32 (NKJV) 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

What a beautiful way to live.

Their hearts had to truly have been changed. This is evident work of the Holy Spirit.

When He moves, we surrender it all. We don’t look at anything as being ours, or that we own it. We go from holding tightly to everything, to “we’re all yours, Lord”.

How many of us today are holding on to stuff like it’s ours?

When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will definitely feel different about the things we possess.

When material and worldly things get out of our way, we hear better. We obey more quickly, and we are ready to move forward a little easier. Less distractions and nothing pulling on us.

We are more free to listen and hear what His voice is saying, and we are quick to obey Him.

They were in One accord!

Many years ago, we were visiting a couple when the man decided to get up and go into the kitchen.

He came back a few minutes later with a basin full of water, knelt down at our feet, and began to wash them.

As he did this, he began to speak these words, “and when you become pastors…”.

We lost it, and we began to cry as he continued to speak words of God over us.

We surrendered at that moment, tears running down our faces, not knowing the timing, the place, or even the how.

We surrendered in our hearts and became one with God.

Everything about us became His.

What was our hearts cry? “Let it be Lord, according to Your will.”

This is what God does with us when we wholly surrender to Him.

He changes our hearts. He changes our thoughts. He changes our actions.

He changes each one of us, from the inside, out.

We must empty ourselves before He can fill us.

And there we will sit, empty, yet filled. Filled with a “One heart and One soul” attitude, and a heart of gratitude toward God!

He is worthy!

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