Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Surrendered

"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:17). "Why are you calling Me 'good'? There's only One good; that's God. Are you calling Me 'God'?" Do you want to call Jesus 'Lord'? He's going to take your life over. What does it cost me to follow Jesus? Everything.

"I've surrendered everything to the Lord. I believe that."

Really? Then why do you still have that list for a spouse?

"Well, I don't have a list; I just have very strong preferences."

Can you trust God? Do you really believe that God knows better than you do? If He's Lord, are you going to trust Him? God can take care of it.

"[You know] the commandments, [Don't] commit adultery, [Don't] kill, [Don't] steal, [Don't] bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour [your] father and mother." And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these I have observed from my youth. I am a good rule follower" (Mark 10:19-20). How hard can it be? There's only ten!

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him..." (10:21). Jesus looked at this young man and He loved him--just like He loves you! God is not out to get you. It's His pleasure to give you the kingdom. His intention is for you to be raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenlies. He sees you as His inheritance. That's how precious you are.

[He] loved him and said, "One thing thou lackest..." What was it? You've not yet come to believe that God loves you. You can't trust Him. "So let me tell you what you need to do. Go sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross and follow Me." I don't know what your cross is. For this young man it was his wealth. For some of us it's our pride. "And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."

Jesus taught them that it's hard for a rich man to get into heaven. The disciples were astonished and then said, "Lord, then who can be saved? If it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, who can be saved?" They were astonished out of measure at His saying. "Well, then, who can be saved? If it's that hard for a rich man to get into heaven, who can be saved? If it's that hard for a prideful man to get into heaven, who can be saved? If it's that hard for an angry man, a covetous man, a fearful man to get into heaven, who can be saved?"

Here's the good news, beloved: "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things all possible." Do you want good news today? You can die. It can be done. You say, "I've had the old man down so many times, but he keeps rising up." It's possible with God to mortify these deeds, put the old man down and keep him under. Spend some time and ask, "What is it in me that keeps springing back to life?" Why? Many of us identify the problem, not the cause. There's a root; there's a reason. I can give you the generic reasons, and you can come up with them too.

"Well, you know, it's because I'm not trusting God. It's because I'm angry. It's because I'm selfish, and that's the basic root of sin, self and pride."

Yes, it is, but weren't you born again? Didn't you put off the old man? Then what is it in you that continues to bring him to resurrection?

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