Render Surrender

by Tiffany S.
from Virtuous Daughters, October 2019~Volume 19, Number 4

Many of the points outlined in this article were gleaned from a sermon by my pastor titled "Render Surrender."
I am thankful for his faithful proclamation of God's truth!

Have you ever received a tremendous gift or service from a family or friend? Were you filled with such deep gratitude that you tried to think of some big way to express that to them? How can I begin to thank you?!?!?! was likely your heart's cry.
     
This was my heart's cry in the fall of 2012 when the Lord miraculously spared my mother's life. After hearing multiple doctors and nurses acknowledge that only God could have kept her alive in a critical situation, I realized how close I came to losing my precious mother. As we drove home from the hospital, I remember being in the van, looking toward the front where my mother sat, full of life. I was completely overwhelmed with sober gratitude. I remember praying, "Lord, how can I ever express the extent of my gratitude to You for saving Mommy's life?! What can I do to show my thankfulness? It's too immense for words." The Lord gently prompted me to be still and know that He is God...to express joyful gratitude by proclaiming His praises and living a life devoted to Him. (Psalm 145:1-7, Psalm 116:1-9, Psalm 107:21.)
   
But in another sense, do we realize the magnitude of God's amazing love for us? As believers, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Consider some of the gifts God has bestowed upon us (taken from Ephesians 1 and Psalm 103), undeserving though we be:

• ALL Spiritual Blessings
• Chosen in Him
• Holy and Without Blame before Him in Love
• Predestinated unto Adoption by Jesus Christ to Himself
• Accepted in the Beloved
• Redemption through His Blood
• Forgiveness of Sins (according to the RICHES of His grace!)
• All Wisdom and Prudence
• Forgives all our Iniquities
• Heals all our Diseases
• Redeems our Life from Destruction
• Crowns us with Lovingkindness and Tender Mercies
• Satisfies our Mouth with Good Things
• ...and this is just a sampling!!

 
We know from Scripture and from personal experience that we love God because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). This verse ties in beautifully with one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 116. Verses 1-8 paint a vivid picture of salvation...we were in desperate need, without Christ and without hope. Yet God's mercy was graciously extended and when we called upon His name, He heard and delivered us. He is merciful. He has dealt bountifully with us. As Psalm 103:2 expresses, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." 
 
So the question is...How can we begin to thank Him?!?!
 
Psalm 116:12 poignantly sets forth our heart's cry: "What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me?" The proceeding verses go on to list some specific ways to express our depth of gratitude to God for saving us and lavishing such rich blessings upon us.
 
Salvation   
"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." (verse 13) We were bought with a price. Christ paid the debt we could never afford. We owe Him our very life. Thus, the very first way to express gratitude is to agree with God about the eternal destiny of our soul and acknowledge our deep need for His saving grace. Those who reject Jesus Christ are expressing a complete disdain for His saving work on the cross. Have you ever heard the statement "What if you lost everything you failed to express gratitude for?" This is precisely what will happen to unbelievers. They choose to forfeit salvation and thus miss out on all the spiritual blessings and eternal bliss of fellowship with God in heaven. Please do not reject the cup of salvation. Christ gave ALL to make this available to us. See Romans 10:13.
 
Sacrifice   
"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all His people." (verse 14) Do we have a desire to give God the firstfruits of all our increase? If we truly comprehend what God has done for us, we will want to give to Him by faithfully attending church, tithing toward the Lord's work, and having a heart of gracious giving toward others. This isn't about a certain percentage or dollar amount, but at the same time, what is a mere ten percent in comparison to the endless benefits of God?! If we really understand God's lavishing of blessing on us, our desire will be to give back in every way we can, above and beyond the "bare minimum."
 
Surrender
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." (verse 15) A believer's physical death is beautiful to God because it unites that person with the Lord in heaven forever (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21). However, there is also a spiritual death of self that takes place when we take up the cross and follow Jesus. This is likewise precious in the sight of the Lord because it reveals that we love Him more than our own selfish desires.
 
Servanthood   
"O LORD, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid: Thou hast loosed my bonds." (verse 16) When someone loves you and has poured their life into yours, you do not tire of serving them. You know you can never serve them enough, because of all they have done for you! Serving them is your joy and privilege, a small way of expressing deep gratitude. This is certainly true of our relationship with the Lord. His blessings over our lives are so overwhelming, that the love of Christ truly does constrain us (2 Corinthians 5:14). C.T. Studd said, "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
 
Satisfaction   
"I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD." (verse 17) Do we express praise and thankfulness to the Lord? Of course this attitude must be in our hearts, but it should also be verbally expressed and regularly communicated through our words and actions. One of my favorite topics to discuss with other believers is salvation testimonies. It's a way to gratefully praise God for His redeeming work in our lives! God delights in the sacrifice of praise.
    
God rendered to Jesus Christ the eternal punishment that we deserved. Because of His amazing love, we have been offered the gift of eternal salvation! Such truth is simply overwhelming to take in; the hymn writer summarized it well: "Drops of grief can never repay the debt of love I owe. Dear Lord, I give myself away. 'Tis all that I can do." Have we even begun to repay God for what He has done for us? No. Our meager efforts to serve and live for Jesus are so small in comparison to the rich, eternal blessings He has bestowed on us.
    
"Render Surrender." My pastor coined this phrase as a summary for Psalm 116, and I thought it was so fitting. Christ our Savior is the ultimate Giver, pouring out His soul unto death to save us, wretched sinners though we be. Ponder His love for you by reading Isaiah 53. It is completely impossible to "outgive" God. The greatest sacrifice we make cannot begin to compare to what was lavishly poured out for us on Calvary. And yet, where is our gratitude? Do we say, "Well, there's nothing I can do that compares, so I'll just do nothing."
   
God knows we can't give enough in return. He understands that. He isn't asking us to try to "earn" His favor through rigid methods of self-abasement. But how much it must hurt His heart when we choose to use all His gifts for selfish purposes. I was paritcularly convicted in reading these chapters that God wants me to simply love Him back through joyful obedience and surrender. I had to confess to God that my love for Him had diminished. I knew this because I had come to a place of desiring my own will more than His. You see, true love earnestly desires to please the object of its delight. When we genuinely love someone, we are willing to do anything to make them happy!
     
​And dear sisters, does the word "surrender" frighten you? Is the thought of yielding your life, plans, hopes, and dreams to the Lord a bit intimidating? Do you worry that perhaps it will result in personal disappointment? Stop and remember WHO you are surrendering to! This is the LORD Who gave His only begotten Son for our salvation...the God Who loves us so infinitely will surely care for all aspects of our lives. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 Our souls may find perfect rest in the Lord, for He truly has dealt bountifully with us (Psalm 116:7)!!!!
 
May our lives be an expression of gratitude to the One Who loved us first!