The trend is surrender. I’ve noticed it has become more and more popular — in books, sermons, and songs. It started with people like David Platt and Kyle Idleman, and has thrived quite nicely to this very day. You not only can be challenged to complete, daily surrender to Christ when you pick up a book at the Christian bookstore, but you can be challenged by lyrics of surrender on the radio or quotes on surrender on Facebook. It’s everywhere. You see, surrender has become fashionable. And yet, not. The more I read, heard, and observed people talking about complete surrender, the more confused I became. Yes, they spoke of trusting God with their lives — yet nothing in their lives spoke of that surrender. They did nothing that really showed a dependence on God’s power. Yes, they sang the famous lyrics from Oceans, “Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior.” Yet their feet stayed on very dry ground. How could this be? How could someone talk, sing, and proclaim surrender and complete trust of God to control their lives and yet remain totally and completely… safe? Where was the faith to step out of the boat? Where was the radical dependence on God? How is it that they seemed more comfortable, not more challenged? After further observation and consideration, I began to have a few ideas. Could it be that it had become so popular to talk of surrender, faith, trust, and grace, that people no longer considered what it truly meant? Could it be that when surrender became |
bethany HARRISIn a word: passionate. Archives
December 2018
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