Craig’s Surrender
This Sunday, Nancy asked us to consider whether or not we have surrendered ourselves to God. She reminded us of Craig’s testimony last week, pointing out that God wasn’t able to change Craig’s life for the better until Craig finally surrendered to Him with his whole heart. Craig’s testimony clearly showed us that there is a difference between accepting Christ as a savior and living a life surrendered to Christ. When we surrender is when the power of God truly changes us and we reach our full potential.
Why Don’t We Surrender?
What makes surrender hard for us, Nancy noted, is that we don’t trust God. We don’t understand his ways, and even worse, we often make false assumptions about how God feels about us and what He intends for us. When it comes down to it, many of us have a hard time believing that God has good intentions toward us. For example, we are sometimes tempted to think that God is out to get us and that He desires to make us suffer in order to punish us. On the contrary, God loves us and has good plans for us. He uses suffering in our lives only as an instrument with which to form his character in us and to cause us to grow to maturity. If we are surrendered to God, He will allow suffering because He loves us and wants us to grow; not because He wants to torture us. The principle that suffering for God’s will leads to growth and good character is set forth throughout scripture in verses such as 1 Peter 4:12 and James 1:2-4. In fact, we are encouraged to rejoice inasmuch as we are a part of the sufferings of Christ because we can identify with Christ in this way.
Abigail and David – Surrender and Character (1 Samuel 25)
To illustrate the point that God often allows suffering in order to accomplish good for us and for His kingdom, Nancy used the story of Abigail and David. Both characters were made to suffer for a time, but it was for God’s purpose, and in the end, they were rewarded for their suffering. Nancy sketched a bit of David’s background for us, explaining that it was twenty-two years between the time that he was told he would be king of Israel and the time when he actually became king. David suffered intensely during those twenty-two years because King Saul, who had been his good friend at one time, became murderously jealous of him and made several attempts on his life. Through this suffering, which was spent in caves and in other unwelcome places, David grew to be a man who had God’s proven character, a trait which served him well when he finally became a king.
Similar to David, Abigail also suffered intensely. She was married to a man who (it seems) did not have even the slightest redeeming quality. The Bible describes him as a fool, and based on the scenario outlined in chapter 25, it would not be inaccurate to compare him to a tyrant. Abigail was trapped in a marriage to a selfish, foolish man, a marriage which was most likely arranged for her. However, at the point that she meets David, she evinces godly characteristics. One could infer that this godly character was forged in her through the things she had to suffer in surrendering her will and life to the Lord. In the end, God delivers Abigail through Nabal’s sudden death and rewards her and provides for her through her subsequent marriage to David.
A Choice to be Made
Nancy ended her message by compelling us to consider our own situations. Have we truly surrendered our lives to the Lord? Yes, we are all in church, and many of us have taken the initial step of trusting Christ for our salvation, but as was the case with Craig, it is possible to be in church without really turning one’s life over to God to see what he will do with it. Nancy brought up a lot of the popular arguments against surrender – fear of what might happen, fear of what we might lose, and fear that God will make us suffer more than we are able to handle. But then she made this point: “You are going to suffer in this life. Suffering is inevitable because we live in a fallen world, full of sin and pain. Wouldn’t you rather suffer for doing the will of God and be rewarded for it rather than to suffer for nothing and in the end to be judged?” These last few words brought us face to face with a question that, at some point or another, begs an answer.
Scriptures Referenced in Nancy’s Sermon
I Samuel 25; 1 Peter 4:12; James 1:2-4; John 3:17; Jeremiah 29:11
Other Scriptures to Consider
Matthew 10:28-30
This Sunday, Nancy asked us to consider whether or not we have surrendered ourselves to God. She reminded us of Craig’s testimony last week, pointing out that God wasn’t able to change Craig’s life for the better until Craig finally surrendered to Him with his whole heart. Craig’s testimony clearly showed us that there is a difference between accepting Christ as a savior and living a life surrendered to Christ. When we surrender is when the power of God truly changes us and we reach our full potential.
Why Don’t We Surrender?
What makes surrender hard for us, Nancy noted, is that we don’t trust God. We don’t understand his ways, and even worse, we often make false assumptions about how God feels about us and what He intends for us. When it comes down to it, many of us have a hard time believing that God has good intentions toward us. For example, we are sometimes tempted to think that God is out to get us and that He desires to make us suffer in order to punish us. On the contrary, God loves us and has good plans for us. He uses suffering in our lives only as an instrument with which to form his character in us and to cause us to grow to maturity. If we are surrendered to God, He will allow suffering because He loves us and wants us to grow; not because He wants to torture us. The principle that suffering for God’s will leads to growth and good character is set forth throughout scripture in verses such as 1 Peter 4:12 and James 1:2-4. In fact, we are encouraged to rejoice inasmuch as we are a part of the sufferings of Christ because we can identify with Christ in this way.
Abigail and David – Surrender and Character (1 Samuel 25)
To illustrate the point that God often allows suffering in order to accomplish good for us and for His kingdom, Nancy used the story of Abigail and David. Both characters were made to suffer for a time, but it was for God’s purpose, and in the end, they were rewarded for their suffering. Nancy sketched a bit of David’s background for us, explaining that it was twenty-two years between the time that he was told he would be king of Israel and the time when he actually became king. David suffered intensely during those twenty-two years because King Saul, who had been his good friend at one time, became murderously jealous of him and made several attempts on his life. Through this suffering, which was spent in caves and in other unwelcome places, David grew to be a man who had God’s proven character, a trait which served him well when he finally became a king.
Similar to David, Abigail also suffered intensely. She was married to a man who (it seems) did not have even the slightest redeeming quality. The Bible describes him as a fool, and based on the scenario outlined in chapter 25, it would not be inaccurate to compare him to a tyrant. Abigail was trapped in a marriage to a selfish, foolish man, a marriage which was most likely arranged for her. However, at the point that she meets David, she evinces godly characteristics. One could infer that this godly character was forged in her through the things she had to suffer in surrendering her will and life to the Lord. In the end, God delivers Abigail through Nabal’s sudden death and rewards her and provides for her through her subsequent marriage to David.
A Choice to be Made
Nancy ended her message by compelling us to consider our own situations. Have we truly surrendered our lives to the Lord? Yes, we are all in church, and many of us have taken the initial step of trusting Christ for our salvation, but as was the case with Craig, it is possible to be in church without really turning one’s life over to God to see what he will do with it. Nancy brought up a lot of the popular arguments against surrender – fear of what might happen, fear of what we might lose, and fear that God will make us suffer more than we are able to handle. But then she made this point: “You are going to suffer in this life. Suffering is inevitable because we live in a fallen world, full of sin and pain. Wouldn’t you rather suffer for doing the will of God and be rewarded for it rather than to suffer for nothing and in the end to be judged?” These last few words brought us face to face with a question that, at some point or another, begs an answer.
Scriptures Referenced in Nancy’s Sermon
I Samuel 25; 1 Peter 4:12; James 1:2-4; John 3:17; Jeremiah 29:11
Other Scriptures to Consider
Matthew 10:28-30
from Mary Anne:
ReplyDeleteHeather, what a great idea! Thanks so much for doing this. While e-communication can't replace small group meetings, phone conversations, and other in-person communication, it adds another dimension.
Just a thought re: the Scriptures listed--any chance of linking them to Bible Gateway, to bring up that actual Scripture with a click of the mouse? "Our Daily Bread" on-line features this, and it's most convenient. I have no idea what's involved with doing that, of course...
Thank you Heather! :-)
ReplyDeleteUseful!
ReplyDelete