Surrender

Five years after my father's death, my mother married a man who was both a Methodist preacher and the son of a Methodist preacher.   When this new grandfather preacher died in the early years of my own ministry, I took a number of books from his library, added them to my small collection, and then carried them with me through the decades of my preaching years.  One of the books was entitled, "Full Surrender" by J. Edwin Orr.  A word from that book I have carried with me through the years.  "Salvation is freedom from the guilt of sin, sanctification is freedom from the power of sin, and glorification is the freedom from the presence of sin."

 

As I was trying to figure out what sanctification was all about, it seemed to me that I was hearing preachers telling me that it was about never sinning again.  While the idea sounded good, it seemed a bit beyond the realm of possibilities.  I knew myself to well.  The quote from J. Edwin Orr kept me grounded on a solid place as I went forward in my life as one who desired to live under the control of the Holy Spirit.  While I have always known myself as a sinner, I also came to understand that life lived under the influence of the Holy Spirit enabled me to live as I could not possibly live as I depended on my own strength.

 

Those who hear find themselves dissatisfied and frustrated with a Christian walk characterized more by inconsistencies than faithfulness may discover within the ensuing crisis of faith a call to abandon everything for God so that His Holy Spirit might have full control of our inner being.  If the power of sin is to be broken in our lives, it will not be because of our human effort, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit as He moves and works within a heart totally surrendered to whatever it is that God wants to do.