Matthew 8:4-38 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
A police officer once asked me the secret to a victorious Christian living. I told him there is no magic formula. But if any word could describe it, it would be surrender.
You may ask, “How can I surrender my life?” It is surrendered in the same way that salvation comes to the sinner. There needs to be confession of sin and completely yielding of every area of our lives, personalities and wills to Jesus Christ– plus faith that Christ will accept that commitment.
It’s not enough for us to make a decision for Christ at an altar. We cannot walk successfully in the glow of that experience for the rest of our lives. We need to return and renew those vows and covenants with the Lord daily. We need to take inventory and have regular spiritual check-ups.
Daily surrender–that’s the key to daily victory!
— Taken from “Hope for each Day” by Billy Graham p. 250 —
One of my favorite hymns:
“Take My Life”
Take My Life and Let It Be
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
—Frances Ridley Havergal
Each new day is just that! A new day to live, love and learn of our Lord Jesus and Father’s love. Then, prayerfully “share” it with all we meet. Have a blessed weekend.
LOVE-HOPE-PEACE In Our Changing World 
I have to agree that “surrender” is the answer to a victorious Christian life.
As you have quoted, Jesus said there was a way to become His disciple, and that way was to ‘take up one’s cross’. Now, every person who heard that would only interpret it one way. They knew, without any doubt, that anyone who carried his cross was about to die, with absolutely NO hope of escape. Carrying a cross meant death and nothing else.
In that context, Jesus was saying (as Paul later said in Romans and elsewhere) that to be His disciple, we needed to reckon oursleves to be dead to sin and dead to self; dead to self desires and self will and self control – complete and absolute surrender.
We are NOT our own, for we have been bought with a price. 1 Cor 6:19-20.
Contrary to how it may sound to some people, this is NOT a negative life, but an abundant life, filled and overflowing with God’s blessings.
What an amazing God!
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Have missed you sister Angela! Thank you again for your very inspiring comment. Seems you always add such great a Spirit-filled epilogue to my posts.
I am praying for your hubby… that the Lord’s will be done, as best will glorify our Loving God and Lord Jesus!
Stephanie
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Thanks for sharing, Stephanie
“Daily surrender–that’s the key to daily victory!”
Amen. The daily crucifying of the flesh… No getting around that at all!!
Blessings
ann
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This is a wonderful and refreshing post! At the feet of Jesus is where we need to be daily. We are in desperate need of His presence and teachings, His mercy and grace. May every person we encounter see our fruit and the light of Christ in us. We are not our own, we should stand out as children of the Most High. Conforming to the ways of this world should not be. The sweet essence and aroma of The Lord is what I desire and long to for all the days of my life.
God bless you and thank you for stopping by Living Simply In Abundance.
Terra
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Thank you for stopping by Terra. Yes.. there is no other place of peace than “at the feet of our Lord and Savior”. Thank you for a wonderful comment.
May you be blessed
Stephanie
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