Before we can pray, “Lord, Thy Kingdom come,” we must be willing to pray, “My Kingdom go” says Alan Redpath. There really is no room for two kings in a kingdom. There is no room for two bosses in your heart, either. Someone must surrender.

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.(Romans 8:5-8, MSG)

Too often we think that we can’t bow to God because we would have to give up our identity. We could not be further from the truth.We are not to meant to be selfless but we are meant to surrender our selfish Selves to God. C.S. Lewis writes “Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self.” The real self, our true identity, is created by God. We are only asked to check the additional selfish ego baggage at the door. Through grace we are able to surrender our self-centered egos and our own agendas to God and receive our real self in the process. We are to exhale the spirit of selfishness and inhale the Holy Spirit. When we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s not us living anymore but Christ in us like Paul says here:
Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal.2:20, MSG)

 

Gracious God,
We surrender ourselves to you:
Our kingdoms go, thy kingdom come!
Take our selfish Selves and give us our true selves.
Thank you for creating each of us unique.
Show us what it truly means to live in you,
to keep on exhaling selfishness
and inhaling your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What keeps/kept you from surrendering to God?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you discover your true identity in Christ!

Photo courtesy of Bobbie Gregor