Surrender: A devotional on desperation, humility, and giving over

 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ — Matthew 25:1-6 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your parable of the ten virgins reminds me to stay awake, stay alert, and to "keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" of the bridegroom's return (vs. 13). Five virgins were wise and kept their lamps full and their wicks trimmed. The five foolish virgins ran out of oil and as they went to buy more, they missed the bridegroom's arrival. What's interesting is that all of them became drowsy and fell asleep—both the wise and the foolish...

 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." — Matthew 23:13 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your stern rebuke to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees was stinging! They didn't merely make it hard to enter the kingdom of heaven, they actively kept people out. They were shutting the door in people's faces. And they themselves weren't even entering the door. They kept the door shut and kept hungry and hurting people shut out. Lord, how many in our community are trying the doors to your kingdom and finding them locked? Who is getting shut out of your kingdom because we didn't hold the door open behind us? It brings to mind the common courtesy of holding the door open for the person entering behind you. For many of us, we live life with a lack of consideration for the people following after...

  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone — Matthew 14:22-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your cousin John had been beheaded. News of his horrific death reached you and when it did, you "withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place" (vs. 13). But the crowds found you and as your boat landed, you immediately began ministering to them. When evening approached, the disciples came encouraging you to send them away to get food. In short, the miraculous feeding of 5000 came next. And then finally, after putting the disciples into a boat and sending them to the other side of the lake, you were able to get alone to pray, to finally grieve, and to be with the Father. You must have been exhausted. Rarely do the needs of the flock take a backseat to our own grief and need...

 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” — Matthew 9:35-38 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, When you saw the crowds in your community, you saw what I see today. You saw people who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. When I read verse 36 in multiple translations, I get a vivid and disturbing picture of these people. They are faint, scattered, distressed, dispirited, bewildered, dejected, troubled, tossed aside, miserable, harried, confused, cast away, worried, weary, worn-out, downcast, discouraged, aimless, abandoned, hurting, and heart-broken....

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” — Matthew 4:4 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your reply to the tempter is a significant reminder to me today. I am not sustained by just food for my body. I am sustained by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. These words were spoken by Moses to the nation of Israel reminding them that God had led them for forty years in the desert, humbling them and causing them to hunger. God fed them with manna—supernatural bread from Heaven—to teach them that "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deut. 8:3). When I am consistently reading, meditating upon, and journaling your Word, I am stronger, healthier, steadier, and satisfied. When I prioritize this time in the morning with you, I am confident my day will be incomparably better than if I had gone without. Time in your Word is essential ...

 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ — Matthew 25:21 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, The Parable of the Bags of Gold reads differently to me today. Previously I have believed that "faithfulness" meant to be steadfast, dependable, loyal, devoted, and true. But there's a missing descriptor that this passage highlights. Faithfulness means "multiplication." In your parable, the man going on a journey calls his servants and entrusts his wealth to them. The first servant is given five bags of gold. The second is given two bags. The third is given one bag. The first two put their money to work, investing it, and gaining twice as much. They multiplied what they had been given. The third servant who received one bag dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. He did not multiply what he was given. He ...

 "When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus." — Matthew 17:6-8 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, The disciples heard the voice of God the Father from the cloud and fell facedown in terror. They were shaken to their core by Almighty God's voice expressing His love and pleasure for you and commanding them to listen to you. And then you came and touched them. Lord, may I be so awestruck by the voice of God that the only thing that sets me right is a touch from you. Next, you said to them, "Get up." They couldn't stay in their facedown position forever. You weren't going to leave them in their state of overwhelm. Lord, so often I can be overwhelmed by my fear, my inadequacy, my doubt, and I need to hear you say, "Get up. Don't stay locked up in fear. Don't remain petrified by what is...

 "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (tested) by the devil." — Matthew 4:1 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, led you, the Son of God, into the wilderness. Wilderness (eremon)  indicates it was a secluded, solitary place. There, you were tempted by the devil. The Greek word used is  peirasthenai . Depending on the context, it can also mean "to test" or "to examine." Matthew 4:11 describes the outcome of this particular test, "Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." I've heard the expression that the test comes when the student is ready. My times of testing—whether a test from God or a temptation from the enemy—reveal what I have learned. But probably more often, those times of testing show the gaps in my instruction. When I am tested, I see what I still need to learn. Lord, thank you for tests, trials, and temptations. They aren't pl...

 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’" —Matthew 25:21 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, These are the words that all of those who follow You long to hear upon the completion of this life. We want to humbly stand before you and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Our faithfulness with a few things on this earth prepares us to be in charge of many things in eternity. Lord, the details of your Kingdom in Heaven aren't complete, but your Word indicates we'll be in charge of cities (Luke 19:17-19), we will rule or judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3), and the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the saints (Daniel 7:27). It is an incredible thought that my faithfulness with the little things here in this life prepare me for stewarding many great things in the lif...

 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions." —Matthew 24:45-47 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, When you return, I want you to find me faithful and wise, giving your servants their food at the proper time. As a faithful and wise servant, you have called me to diligently study and teach your Word to your servants. Your word is life and it feeds us. It sustains us and fills us. I want to give your people good food that is rich and satisfying. Lord, thank you for this calling, to teach and preach your Word, to pastor this congregation, to reach this city for you. I am desperate for you to develop me, to shape me, and continually equip me for this calling. I know there there will be a day when you return to this eart...

“About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’" — Matthew 20:6-7 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, you make the point that there is an inexhaustible amount of work to do for Your Kingdom. There really is no excuse for any follower of yours to be standing around doing nothing. By choosing to follow You, we are in effect hired to work in your vineyard. We are without excuse. We can't say, "No one hired us." For you have laid claim to our lives, bought us with a price, we are Yours. We are now workers in Your vineyard, called and created in Christ Jesus to do good works which you prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Lord, may I not be found standing around waiting to be hired. May I not be ...

 "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone," — Matthew 14:22-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, After feeding the 5,000, you sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. You dismissed the crowd. And then, you got away to be alone, to pray in solitude. After a huge moment of miraculous ministry, you left that mountain peak experience with thousands for a mountainside experience alone. This is my reminder to get away with you, alone, in the solitude after those significant moments of ministry and mountain peak experiences. Alone with you is where I am refreshed and replenished. On that mountainside is where I encounter God's presence. There on that mountainside is where I can pray without interruption, without distraction, without obstruction. Lord, you know how m...

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Pastoring is hard work. There are times, like today, when I feel weary and burdened. The NKJV says, "all you who labor and are heavy laden." 'Labor' implies the burdens we take upon ourselves. 'Heavy laden' implies the burdens others put on us. Today I feel the weight of both. Your solution is "Come to Me." Your invitation is to all, but today your words are just to me. For me to "come". To move from where I am, under the weight of ministry and the demands of others and to move towards You. Your invitation is to come to YOU. There is no other person or destination I need. No other object or distraction that will satisfy. For it is You and You al...

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." — Matthew 6:19-21 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Wow, how easy it is to lose sight of this reality. I'm working on a project right now that requires storing up in preparation for the future. But as I do so, I forget that the real future I'm storing up for is the eternal future. It's not unwise to prepare for the unexpected or to save for the future. Proverbs 6:6-8 highlights how the ant stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. But storing up provisions and storing up treasures are probably two different things. When my preparation becomes my treasure, then I know I'm off course. In my desire to accumulate—whatever it i...

"News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them." — Matthew 4:24 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, You didn't come for the healthy, you came for the sick and oppressed. And people who needed healing were discovering that you could help. They probably didn't understand why. They probably didn't fully comprehend who you were. They just were desperate for relief and freedom from pain and suffering. You met them at their point of need and healed them. It's interesting. You didn't preach at them. You didn't explain why they were sick. You met them at their deepest point of need, in their desperation, and brought healing. The next verse, Matthew 4:25, declares that as a result, large crowds followed you. Lord, as you send me to these same people: people ill with various diseases, tho...

“He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” —Matthew 13:52 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As a teacher and a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven, I want to have a well-stocked storeroom of new treasures as well as old. To me this means having an understanding of your Word that continues to deepen and grow. It's like going deeper in a mineshaft and pulling out brilliant gemstones. You are taking me deeper in my understanding, revealing more and more of your character, your nature, and your ways. When I teach, I want to bring the logos  and the rhema. As I prepare today for Sunday's message, I humbly ask for something from Heaven's storeroom that is a new treasure for your people to hear, receive, and understand. I am not interested in shortcuts, re-purposed material, or even others' insights. I want you to bri...