" I have been before God and have given myself, all that I am, and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own….. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained anything as my own." Jonathon Edwards

Can you truly say with Jonathan Edwards, that you have been before God and given yourself, all that you have and all that you are to God? What kind of things might you be retaining as your own?

The surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox was a "decisive moment" that changed the course of the Civil War, and assured its ultimate outcome. General Lee's surrender paved the way for peace to be restored to a war-torn nation. Spiritually, there can be no peace with God, no peace in our hearts apart from unconditional surrender.

Unlike General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, our surrender to Christ does not involve a genuine loss. Instead, Christian surrender brings true beauty, true joy, abundant life, and all the good things God has in store for us. In surrendering to Him, we finally see the surpassing value of Christ over all that the world ever would, or could, have given us.

One of the things that hinders complete surrender to Christ is that we don't know what lies ahead. Would we be more inclined to surrender if God would fill out all the details first, so that we'd know exactly what we might have to do, where we might have to go, and what it's going to cost us? Maybe we need to ask: what do we stand to lose by unconditional surrender to God? What do we stand to gain?

Very few of us are thrilled with the idea of simply being a slave of Jesus Christ. However, if we overlook or reject that calling, we forfeit one of life's greatest privileges, and our only means to true freedom.