Surrender vs. Commitment

I read something a couple months ago that I just can't quit thinking about. After I read it the first time, I just had to pause and chew on it for a while. Its such an important truth...and especially in today's world with Christianity so watered down, it demands attention.

Adrian Rodgers had been preaching in Romania shortly after God brought spiritual revival to the nation that had been liberated from a cruel Communist government. Josef was a preacher in Romania that had suffered at the hands of the Communist with brutal beatings, imprisonments, death threats, and had learned the victory that comes so sweetly in surrendering to the Savior. The conversation picks up with Adrian talking with Josef as they rode along in his car:

"Josef, tell me about American Christianity."

"Adrian, I had rather not."

Adrian replied, "No, I want to know."

"Well, Adrian, since you have asked me, I'll tell you. The key word in American Christianity is commitment."

"That is good, isn't it, Josef?"

He replied, "No, its not. As a matter of fact, the word commitment did not come into great usage in the English language until about the 1960's. In Romania we do not even have a word to translate the English word commitment. If you were to use commitment in your message tonight, I would not have a proper word to translate it."

Josef continued, "When a new word comes into usage, it generally pushes an old word out. I began to study and found the old word that commitment replaced. Adrian, the old word that is no longer in vogue in America is the word SURRENDER."

"Josef," Adrian asked, "What is the difference between commitment and surrender?"

He said, "When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing you commit to. One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give his money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to. But surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don't tell that person what you are committed to. You simply surrender and do as you are told."

He said, "Americans love commitment because they are still in control. But the key word is surrender. We are to be slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Adrian went on in his book to say:

I had to say "Amen" in my heart. Never were more profound words spoken. And never a greater challenge given than those words to me that day. Of course, there are many things we may be committed to in a godly and wholesome way, but nothing can take the place of absolute surrender."

Each day, God shows me one more area in my life that is not surrendered. Oh, how I want to live a TOTALLY surrendered life. Each day I understand more and more how temporary this life is...and how temporary the "things" of this life are.

Oh, God, show me where I am not fully surrendered to you. Give me the grace I need to give those areas to you. Give me an eternal view of this life and a passion for the things that you are passionate about. Give me compassion for your children, and give me boldness and wisdom to do the things you call me to do.

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing, always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in endless praise.
Take my intellect and use every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)