I surrender ALL

Bob’s TFT Wednesday 08-26-2020

Bible Passage: John 18:11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Perhaps Jesus’ most significant activity was “drink the cup.” It was significantly more impressive than calming the seas or raising the dead because it involved His surrender. The prophets and apostles could do amazing miracles, but they did not always do the will of God and therefore, often suffered as a result. Doing God’s will and thus experiencing suffering, is still the highest form of faith and the most glorious Christian achievement that we, as followers of Christ, may choose to do.

Life can be challenging. What happens when:

· Your brightest aspirations as a person forever crushed

· You are called to bear burdens daily that are overwhelming, and never seeing relief

· You find yourself worn down by poverty while merely desiring to do good for others and provide a comfortable living for those you love

· An incurable physical disability becomes your burden

· You are entirely alone, separated from all those you love, to face the trauma of life alone

Even with all of these things happening to us, are we able to say through such a difficult school of discipline, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” When our faith achieves this lofty goal, and we surrender all to accept the will of God, there is lasting peace and contentment in life.

To have a sympathetic God, we must have a suffering Savior, for sincere sympathy comes from understanding another person’s hurt by suffering the same affliction. Therefore, we cannot help others who suffer without paying the price ourselves because hardships are the cost, we pay for our ability to sympathize. Those who wish to help others must first suffer. If we want to rescue others, we must be willing to face the cross; experiencing the greatest happiness in life through ministering to others is impossible without drinking the cup Jesus drank and without submitting to the baptism He endured.

If you have surrendered yourself to Christ, your present circumstances that seem to be pressing so hard against you are the perfect tool in the Father’s hand to chisel you into shape for eternity. Therefore, trust Him and never push away the instrument He is using, or you will miss the result of His work in your life.

What are you not willing to do for God? What burden can’t you carry? Is the cup that we must drink to severe to swallow? We need to remember the lengths that Christ went to provide salvation for us. Our burdens, our cup pale in comparison to His surrender. Accept the cup and drink it fully and hold fast to the promise that God will never leave nor forsake you. This is our call of faith. Surrender all!