A resurrection through surrender
The ultimate empowerment for all of humanity happened three days after Jesus was crucified. His resurrection is the pinnacle point of history, and every measurable set of data has revealed that the resurrection is a proven event that all of history hinges upon.
We celebrate the resurrection of Christ on Sunday along with all the amazing blessings that come with faith in the living Son of God. One such blessing is that we become sons of God. We have been adopted through the will of God into the family of God, and for that, gratitude seems like too small of a word. And gratitude will empower us to do a lot of things.
In this season, I believe God is teaching us to follow in the footsteps of Christ to surrender our lives and our choices to a loving Father. Jesus travailed in prayer late into the night at the Garden of Gethsemane when He had to do something each human must do if we are to follow God. He chose to say, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”
This prayer is one of the most challenging prayers for any of us to pray. We love and care deeply about those things that we have made priorities. Our family, friends, ministry, and finances are things we care for and hold close to our hearts. We want safety, security, and blessings to flow in our lives. We pray that the trials of this day would result in the glory of God tomorrow. All of this points to a deeper truth that Jesus knew at the garden.
Our best ideas, thoughts, and desires must all be laid before the Father and surrendered to His perfect will. There is a place where the desires of our heart become the will of God, but that is the place of deepest surrender. Many of us forget that God’s perfect will for our lives is plain and simple, according to the scriptures. Living the will of God is an active choice as we value His presence, words, and will more than our own.
Choosing to surrender our will to the will of God is the greatest pathway to living an empowered life of faith in Christ. When we choose to let go of the battle of wills, we surrender, and God is elevated to being Lord of our life. Jesus chose to surrender His will unto the Father’s will and was empowered to do the most crucial task for all of us, for all eternity: die on the cross. Let us be empowered to do the impossible as we surrender our will to the Father’s and become strengthened in grace to do God’s perfect will.
Chris Bassett is the senior leader at Harvest Valley Worship Center. You are invited to join us Easter Sunday at 10am, 3 miles north of Schweitzer Cutoff on U.S. 95. You can get more information at hvwc.com.