“Therefore, submit to
God.”
James 4:7 (NKJV)
“If you confess with
your mouth
the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart
that God has raised
Him from the dead,
you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9
(NKJV)
As I write this, we’re in the midst of another very heavy
snow storm. It seems appropriate to hear
the song “Jesus take the wheel” on the radio, although I’m grateful to be
working from home today rather than out driving in the blizzard. Even in good conditions, I don’t like driving
and regularly pray for God’s help to drive safely. But I need Jesus to take the wheel of my
life, not just the steering wheel of my car.
Because if Jesus is our
personal Savior, then we also must confess Him as Lord and submit to His
will. In church last Sunday, the pastor talked about the difference
between surrender and submission. He analogized to a military situation
where soldiers who surrender usually do so involuntarily and with an eye
towards finding a way of escape to re-gain their freedom. They may surrender on
the outside because they have to, but not in their hearts. Submission, on the
other hand, is voluntary and involves our heart, soul and mind.
Too often, Christians may refer to Jesus as Lord, but
they fight His rule in their lives and rebel by going their own way, pursuing
their own will. Have you ever sought the Lord’s help on a big issue but
then came up with “Plan B” just in case? Or committed a decision to God
but then took action when you couldn’t wait for (or didn't like) His
answer? Or has Jesus been Lord on Sunday but not the rest of the
week? It's easy to say the right words yet act according to our own
agenda. When we do so, however, we miss out on the great blessing that
comes from being fully submitted to Him.
God does not want our halfhearted acquiescence; He
desires to be Lord of our lives. He wants devoted followers who will
relinquish our wills, our desires and our plans, who will voluntarily submit to
His rule because He knows best. When you know that God’s promises are
true, when you’ve experienced His faithfulness time and again, when you’re sure
that He’s worthy of being trusted with everything, then you will come to know
His peace. Then you can let go and experience joy and true rest because
He is in control.
Jesus has the wheel of my life. My prayer is
that you too know the blessings of submission to Jesus as Lord.