Complete Surrender

Verse of the day: Judges 6:25-26, Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”

One of the first things Gideon had to do in serving the Lord was take a stand that could put him at odds with his own family. It is obvious from this passage, that Gideon grew up in a home where idol worship was common practice. As God’s children, we are called to serve God and God alone. This means removing all idols from our lives, whomever or whatever it might be. Sadly, one of the first groups of people that may become our enemy when we accept Jesus into our life is family. As Christians, what we know to be life drastically changes, to include our religious beliefs. It is important for us to realize that there may come a time in our life when we have to choose between pleasing our family and friends, and pleasing God. The best choice is pleasing God. This means that we stand the chance that we will have to choose to walk alone, as many might forsake us because of our allegiance to the Lord. Jesus said this in Matthew 10:34-39, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Gideon was sent on a mission that would prove that He loved God even more than his own family. This did not mean that Gideon did not love his father by carrying out God’s command. God does not desire that we hate or disrespect our parents or anyone in our family. He does require, however, that we prove that He is number One in our lives, even if it means that it causes those closest to us to forsake us. The fact of the matter is that if we truly love our family and friends, we will share the truth that Jesus is the only Way to the Father and the only Way to obtain eternal life. To compromise our message, and our faith, for the sake of keeping peace, because we love them and do not want to have them get angry with us or turn their backs on us, only proves that we really do not love them as much as we claim we do. It is better to have them get angry, and even forsake us, trusting that God will use our testimony to lead them to Him, than to compromise for the sake of peace, only to have them perish for eternity. How will we feel when one of them dies without Christ, knowing that it is now too late to share Jesus with them? How will it feel knowing that we had an opportunity to see them again someday with our Savior, but now it is too late because we chose peace with them over allegiance to Jesus? It is evident from verse 27 that this was not an easy thing for Gideon to do, “So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.” In spite of that, Gideon chose to obey God. How do we expect God to truly use us in a great way, if we are not willing to forsake all for Him? Jesus said this in Luke 9:23-26, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” To take up our cross daily means to put self aside and live our lives in such a way that many of those we love and cherish might choose to walk away from us because of our dedication to the Lord. Are we truly ready to be that committed to our relationship with Jesus?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).