All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Thee, I freely give
I will ever love and trust thee
In thy presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Jesus, I surrender
I surrender all.
Most of us grew up singing, I Surrender All. It’s more than a song though. It s a declaration of our heart. To freely give all that we are and all that we have is an expression of our love and trust for our Lord. He created us for fellowship with Him ... to live in His presence daily.
As we were singing this song in church one Sunday morning, I couldn’t help but think what "I surrender all" encompasses. ALL means everything. It doesn’t leave out anything. So, "I surrender ALL" means that I am making a declaration from the depth of my heart that I relinquish everything, every part of my being, to my Lord. And so my list of ALL began to grow. It included the good ... and the bad.
ALL includes ... Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations, Gifts, Talents, Abilities, Achievements, Failures, Memories, Opportunities, Education, Possessions, Money, Relationships, Responsibilities, Fears, Hurts, Disappointments, Weaknesses, Strengths, Quirks, Likes, Dislikes, Preferences, Personality, Body, Mind, and Spirit.
ALL — To be given to Him. To receive His touch. To be changed. To be healed. To be made whole. To be restored. To be empowered. To be utilized to its full potential.
Oftentimes, we think about the best that we can give the Lord. However, He wants our ALL ... including what we think to be our worst. Remember the man with the withered hand in the temple whom Jesus asked to stretch out his hand? The man stretched out his weakness. Consequently, He received a blessing in that he was healed and made whole. He went forth a changed man ... knowing who Jesus was and what His heart was for humanity. I’ve wondered what would have happened had the man hidden his weakness and stretched out his strong hand. Would he have experienced the fullness of the Lord?
Jesus wants us to stretch out our ALL. He wants us to surrender to Him what we perceive to be our best and also our worst. He wants us to experience Him, His fullness, and His heart for us.
This is a season to give our ALL to Him ... to daily give our ALL to Him, knowing that He will take it, good and bad, breathe life into it, and work all of it together for His good.
------------- Blessings from Him, Carole
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