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

 “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 ...

"Lord, our Lord,     how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory     in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants     you have established a stronghold against your enemies,     to silence the foe and the avenger." — Psalm 8:1-2 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your name is majestic. there is no other name in all the earth, no other name in all of history, that is greater than Yours. Your glory is evident and visible to the discerning. You have set it in the heavens above. And when children and infants praise your name and give you glory, you do something remarkable, unexpected, and unlikely. You establish a stronghold against the enemy. Praise from the lips of children and even babies hold a strength and power which nothing can withstand. Their praise is a fortification against all God's enemies. Their praise silences the lies of Satan and his fellow adversaries. One of the best ways to shut the de...

 "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...

 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. — John 19:14-15 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, The Jews outright rejected their Messiah. They demanded you be taken away from them and be crucified. They did not want to see you, much less receive you. They called for your execution. To the One who offered eternal life they demanded immediate death. They rejected their king and chose a tyrant. Lord, isn't that how it is in my life? In areas of my heart where I reject your kingly rule, I choose instead the tyranny of sin. Sin demands more from me and imprisons all of me. When I close my heart to you, I am standing among the Jews shouting, "Take him away!" When the Spirit of God shines light upon the sin in my heart, He says, "Here is...

 "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." — John 17:22-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, You desire for your church—all who believe in your name—to be one, to be in complete unity. When your church is living in that unity, the world notices, the world believes that the Father sent You, and the world knows that the Father loves them. To empower your church to live in that unity, you have given us the glory that the Father gave you. What is that glory? It's not glory as the world defines it. It is the glory of your presence, the glory of your Spirit, the glory of your power. Your glory is the shining radiance of your presence evident within your church. As one commentator wrote, "Where there is a sense of God's glory, unity is much easier. Lesser things...

 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” — John 13:7 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As you began washing the disciples' feet, you made this statement—a statement that is pretty much a response to every confusing moment in life! When the events around me make no sense, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. When life goes illogically and inexplicably sideways, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. When the pressure upon me becomes more intense that I can bear, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. It's not hard to look backward and reflect on those past moments that made no sense, sent sideways, or were full of pressure. At the time, I did not realize what you were doing. Now, maybe I understand. You were forming something in me that did not yet exist. You were increasing something in me that I needed in greater measure. Patience. Resili...