I have found that the best way to simplify your life is through surrender. What? For many years, I tried to figure things out on my own. When I chose to surrender my life to Christ, my life didn’t necessarily become easier, but it became much simpler.
Before Surrender
I grew up in a Christian home, and I am so grateful for that. We were taught the truths of the Bible at home and at church on a consistent basis. I had all of that knowledge in my head, but it took me a while to figure out the heart piece.
Thinking I was in control of my life, I called all of the shots. I was trying to do all of the right things to earn my way into heaven. How had I forgotten about Ephesians 2:8-9?
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
ephesians 2:8-9
Honestly, I don’t think that I forgot about it. I think I was suppressing it, following my urge to be a people pleaser, or in this case a God pleaser. I also hadn’t learned yet how to give up control.
When I was in school, I worked at a department store within a mall. This mall was located near a college that had a group of students that would come and interview people as they passed through the mall. One day, they stopped me and asked me if I knew what would happen to me if I died. I was young and didn’t really think a lot about dying. All I knew was that I was doing my best to get to heaven, and hopefully when that day came, God would think that I was good enough. I’m sure they gave me a proper response along the lines of Ephesians 2:8-9, but at the time, I just kind of tuned it out and moved on.
That encounter always stuck with me in the back of my mind. Little did I know that God was working to get me to fully understand these verses.
After Surrender
Fast forward to my 30’s. We had moved out to the country, and for many reasons I became so lonely. How did God know that is exactly what I needed? Because He created me. I went to church one Sunday, and I have no idea what the sermon was about, but one word stuck with me – RELATIONSHIP. I had probably heard that word so many times before, but this time it really hit me hard. Why? Because I was lonely. Finally, Romans 10:9-10 became a reality for me.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
romans 10:9-10
For many years, I had the head knowledge and I would freely confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, but the heart piece hadn’t clicked with me yet. When I chose to surrender to Christ, all of my problems didn’t go away. However, dealing with them was so much simpler because I had the Holy Spirit guiding my decisions.
I continue to make sinful choices, which is why I need Jesus each and every day. I’m so grateful that He has written me into the Book of Life, and that I will never be blotted out.
You see, heaven is perfect, and I am not.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
Because I am not perfect, I need a way to become righteous if I want to spend eternity in heaven. Imperfection requires a payment, and that payment is death. BUT GOD (my two favorite words in the Bible!) provided a way for me to pay that penalty. He gave His son, Jesus Christ, as a payment for my sin. Not only that, but He had the power to raise Jesus from the grave on the third day! And He will raise me to eternal life with Him in heaven the moment that I take my last breath here on earth.
What a gift!!
And now my salvation is secure because I absolutely believe Romans 10:9-10 with both my head and my heart. Because I have chosen to surrender my life to Jesus, I now serve Him because I WANT to, not because I feel like I have to. He has provided such joy and a peace that surpasses all understanding, especially in the hard times. I only wish that I had surrendered sooner. However, God’s timing is always best, and I believe I have more compassion for those who have not yet made that choice because of my experience.
Ask Yourself
How about you? Have you made the choice to surrender control of your life? If you haven’t made that choice, today is the day! I want to encourage you to click on this link to read The Romans Road to Salvation from another viewpoint.
What is the Romans Road to salvation? | GotQuestions.org
I have found GotQuestions.org to be a great website for answering many of the questions that I have about the Bible. They are very thorough, and they explain things in a way that I can understand. As with all sources, I want to encourage you to check their responses to your questions against the infallible Word of God.
And now I will leave you with another favorite set of verses that clearly spell out what is required to be saved.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
In Christ,
Leah
Stacia says
I just love how anyone can relate to this!
Leah says
It’s exactly how God created us.