THE GREAT PARADOX   #302

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I am particularly excited about sharing this message with you today. As I’ve mentioned in previous postings, after I feel as though I’ve been mired in a wasteland of inspirational poverty, all of a sudden I get a download of subjects and directions. For the past week I have been asking for guidance, but my requests seem to have gone unnoticed…until about 3:00 a.m. this morning. All of a sudden, I was awakened with what seemed to be a mother lode of inspiration, so today’s message is just the first installment of that blessing.

I would like to begin with two verses and the refrain from one of my favorite “oldie but goodie” hymns. “All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow; Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.” (refrain) “I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”

One indication of growth and maturity is when we come to the realization that what we had previously learned and believed needs to be revisited, and possibly even replaced, based on relevant new material. Such can be the case with the word “surrender” The most prevalent definition of that word is “defeat”, accompanied by an implied indication of “weakness”. Therefore, we are taught to be strong, not to give in to defeat, but to resist at all costs. After all, none of us want to be viewed as a weakling or as a loser. Right?

After having become a member of AA, I was introduced to their battle-cry: “The only way to win is to surrender.” What a paradox!  In fact, step 1 of the 12 Step recovery program requires “admitting we are powerless over _______ (alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, pornography, or anything that controls our lives), and our lives (consequently) have become unmanageable.” In other words, in order for new members to successfully begin their journey to recovery, they first have to surrender to their own insufficiency.

One of the primary reasons for relapse during this journey is the failure to surrender…I mean to completely surrender, to admit defeat, to admit weakness, and then EMBRACE IT. But fear not, because the answer to this dilemma is found in step 2: “We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Even though this is the answer, based on the inspired testimony of countless sober participants, I suspect you can see how it could even be a greater challenge than step 1.

The biggest challenge to our rational thinking is the concern about giving up self-control, especially to something that is outside the paradigm of our five senses. We, as a result of our human nature, are self-centered. We want to be in control; we want to be in charge of our own destiny; we want to be all we can be, and in most cases, we don’t like anything that is in conflict with this pursuit. And therein lies the problem.  Relying on our self-sufficiency is what got us into this helpless state; solving the problem requires a new way of thinking that results from a transformed mind. (Ref: Romans 12:2) Now I would like to give two examples of winners who saw the value of this transformation, then exalted its benefits.

King Solomon was the wisest, richest and most powerful man of his age. Toward the end of his life, after experiencing success in virtually everything he pursued, he addressed a gathering of all the other wise men. “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! The search for pleasure, wealth, and success is ultimately disappointing. True happiness is not in our power to attain because we always want more than we have. In addition, there are circumstances beyond our control that can snatch away our possessions and our attainments. Nothing in the world can fill the emptiness and satisfy the deep longings in our restless heart. Without God, there is no lasting reward or benefit in hard work. How strange that people spend their lives striving for the very joy that God gives so freely.” (Ecclesiastes 1-12)

Apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:4-9, compares his previous life to this new life in Christ. “Yet, I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So, I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What’s more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. And zealous? Yes! In fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault. I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them rubbish because of what Christ has done (in my life.) Yes, everything else is meaningless when compared to the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discounted everything else, counting it all as rubbish, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.  As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the same mighty power (the Holy Spirit) that raised Him from the dead.

The process laid out in the 12 Step recovery program is the same process that Christ-followers refer to as “the Christian walk”.  While the terminology is different, the process is the same as the age-old biblical proclamation: “Repent! (step 1,recognizing and admitting your problem, then being willing to change); Turn from your sin (step 2, ask a power greater than yourself to empower you with wisdom, courage, and strength to follow through with your new endeavor); and turn to God” (step 3, be committed to being transformed through the process of the next nine steps. This is what the church calls “sanctification”.  (I hope at this point the paradox is becoming clear in your mind. The term “surrender” no longer designates defeat or weakness, but is in fact, the first step toward our ultimate victory over bondage!)

Everyone is searching for happiness, confidence, security, acceptance and identity, but unfortunately, most are searching in all the wrong places to fill that emptiness…that proverbial “hole in the soul.” The truth is, all of this – and even more – can be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The wisdom of King Solomon brought him to the same conclusion a few thousand years ago when he stated, “Nothing in this world can fill the emptiness and satisfy the deep longings in our restless heart except God.  How strange that people spend their lives striving for the very joy that God gives so freely.”

Apostle Paul echoed that same sentiment when he stated, “Yes, everything else is meaningless when compared to the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.”

I know that “surrendering all” can seem like a daunting proposition, but the truth is…once we have done it, we are empowered to do things we could never do through our own effort. The Holy Spirit becomes our source of wisdom, courage, and strength. He leads us into all truth. Now it’s not about our works or our effort, but it’s about allowing Him to work through us. Ephesians 1:14 tells us: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us everything He promised”, and His promises are included in a never-ending treasure trove of blessings.  Again, as King Solomon said, “God freely gives these blessings to those who love Him”, and to those who are in Christ!  This, my Dear Readers, is how we win by surrendering.

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May God Bless You abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)