The Key to Spirituality

Surrender . . . the key to spirituality.

---

Think of Jesus Christ, so that the standard of human life is no longer a code, but a character. E. Stanley Jones

---

 

Surrender, I am convinced, is the key to spirituality. “Not my will, but Thine be done,” is the appropriate response on all occasions. It is the key—the only key, to experiencing the richness of life; all else is wood, hay and stubble.

Yet, the temptation of the temporal excites us to false hopes, false dreams, and false purposes. God, however, has other plans for us, and until we surrender happiness will elude us.

“Surrender to what?” … I heard someone say.

The short answer to that is, of course, to God; however, not just any God, not even the God of the Creeds, if by doing so we neglect the God of the heart. Orthodoxy is wonderful, but it is sterile staring back at us from the dark print on the white page before us. A book, not even the Bible, or any creed can save us, or infuse us with true spirituality. At best they can only point us in the right direction, make the right recommendations, offer encouragement and hope, but that’s about the sum of it.

That final step—that final awareness, can only come when we surrender to the full intentions of God; that is, to our created purpose. It is in surrender, and only there, that we find peace and true spirituality.

“Father, that they may be one as We are One,” is not just a prayer, it is a purposeful fact. It is our destiny; and once committed we have no choice, if we wish to experience the fullness of God. It is as simple as that.

I say, simple, but what I mean is that the process does not require a lot of theological gobbledygook for us to understand in order to commence the journey. As Luther has so rightly stated, even a milkmaid can understand the biblical message; and, of course, central to the message is one of surrender—total surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

It is not without significance that the first Christian creed recorded in history was simply “Jesus is Lord.” These New Testament Christians captured the essence of what it is to be a Christian early on—that is, one must surrender to the lordship of Christ. We must become one with Him in order to become one with God, and that means surrender.

Christ, in His darkest hour sets the example when He cried out, “Lord, not my will but Thine be done.” Thus we can rightly say that if in the darkest hour when escape is a matter of choice (remember, He had 10,000 angels at his disposal) surely we are wise to choose surrender in all the circumstances of life.

The journey of choice is ours, but He charted the course in order for us to clearly understand that surrender is our best option. For once we are committed to Him—that is, totally surrendered, we can be sure that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from the loving embrace of a Father that cares, really cares. Forget nitpicking theology here, we are not talking about conditional commitment, we are talking about total commitment. We are in the journey for the long haul, for as long as it takes. There is no turning back. No tinges of regret, either. The journey is ours, and it is a happy journey because we know we are on the right journey.

The Psalmist wrote,

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation (Psalm 118:14).”

This, he could have only said, on condition of the Lordship of God, whom we rightly know as Christ. So, if we are weak, then we have not surrendered. He is our strength. If we are sad, then we have not surrendered. For He is our song. Do we feel hopelessly lost with nowhere to turn? Then we must turn to our Savior. None of which He is, however, unless He is Lord.

May God’s grace enable us to surrender, really surrender, not just in word but with a firm commitment to Christ with an unconditional surrender to the majesty of His Lordship.

Now, may His wisdom accompany us on each step of the journey; otherwise, we journey in vain.

JimR_/-