Live Totally Surrendered
Live Totally Surrendered
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
In 1888 Dora Yu entered medical school at age 15. When she graduated, she offered her diploma to God. As a doctor, she healed many even though she was afflicted with her own infirmity. As an entrepreneur, she started a girl’s school and a church. As an evangelist as she led hundreds of people into a relationship with Christ.
Dora lived a life of total surrender. She embodied prayer without ceasing, engaging in perpetual conversation with God throughout her day. She prayed that God would keep her in total obedience, total surrender, and total compassion. More than anything, she wanted her life to reflect Christ's; she wanted to love others unconditionally. She longed to see the world from God's viewpoint and live in the heavenly realm.
Colossians 4:2-4 says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with Thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ . . . That I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”
Dora understood that she had to remain prayerful if she wanted to impact the world for Christ. She knew that a life of prayerlessness was a sign of pride and self-reliance. More than anything, she knew she needed God.
If you lived a life of constant prayer, how might your life change?
True surrender leads us out of our comfort zones and into God's plan and will. When we completely surrender to the Lord, God might ask us to change jobs or move to a different location. But one thing is for sure: being totally surrendered to God brings major world change.
+++
If you are like me, I had never heard of Dora Yu. But if you take time to Google her name you will find out that she was an amazing woman. She was one of the first missionaries Korea, and she was sent out as a missionary from China of all places.
Many of you have heard the name Watchman Nee. He was a great missionary in his day, and he came to faith under the ministry of Dora Yu.
The devotion for today speaks of constant prayer. So many times, we believe prayer is a ritual when in truth it is a relationship. I find myself talking to God at what most would think would be inappropriate times. I will be watching television and a commercial will come on, and I have learned that in those few moments I have an opportunity to talk to God. Or when I'm driving through town and gets stuck at one of our very long traffic lights, do you have a few moments where I can talk to God.
Prayer is not only from mealtimes and church services, but it is a life lived in relationship with our savior who loves us. Our devotion today speaks of pride and self-reliance as the result of a prayerless life. By contrast our lives are to be lived in total dependence upon God. We don't just depend on God for daily food and protection; we depend on God every moment of our life. And if we're honest every moment of our lives is in God's hands. It is God who sustains all creation, and it is our God who sustains us moment by moment.
What we need to fully grasp is that we are so important to the heart of God that he is focused every moment upon us. What was it that Paul said to us? “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will he not also with Him freely give us all things?”
If we are so important to the heart of God that he would give Jesus for us, how could we ever imagine that anything in all creation is more important than we are?
Never forget! You are the focus of God's heart.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
In 1888 Dora Yu entered medical school at age 15. When she graduated, she offered her diploma to God. As a doctor, she healed many even though she was afflicted with her own infirmity. As an entrepreneur, she started a girl’s school and a church. As an evangelist as she led hundreds of people into a relationship with Christ.
Dora lived a life of total surrender. She embodied prayer without ceasing, engaging in perpetual conversation with God throughout her day. She prayed that God would keep her in total obedience, total surrender, and total compassion. More than anything, she wanted her life to reflect Christ's; she wanted to love others unconditionally. She longed to see the world from God's viewpoint and live in the heavenly realm.
Colossians 4:2-4 says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with Thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ . . . That I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”
Dora understood that she had to remain prayerful if she wanted to impact the world for Christ. She knew that a life of prayerlessness was a sign of pride and self-reliance. More than anything, she knew she needed God.
If you lived a life of constant prayer, how might your life change?
True surrender leads us out of our comfort zones and into God's plan and will. When we completely surrender to the Lord, God might ask us to change jobs or move to a different location. But one thing is for sure: being totally surrendered to God brings major world change.
+++
If you are like me, I had never heard of Dora Yu. But if you take time to Google her name you will find out that she was an amazing woman. She was one of the first missionaries Korea, and she was sent out as a missionary from China of all places.
Many of you have heard the name Watchman Nee. He was a great missionary in his day, and he came to faith under the ministry of Dora Yu.
The devotion for today speaks of constant prayer. So many times, we believe prayer is a ritual when in truth it is a relationship. I find myself talking to God at what most would think would be inappropriate times. I will be watching television and a commercial will come on, and I have learned that in those few moments I have an opportunity to talk to God. Or when I'm driving through town and gets stuck at one of our very long traffic lights, do you have a few moments where I can talk to God.
Prayer is not only from mealtimes and church services, but it is a life lived in relationship with our savior who loves us. Our devotion today speaks of pride and self-reliance as the result of a prayerless life. By contrast our lives are to be lived in total dependence upon God. We don't just depend on God for daily food and protection; we depend on God every moment of our life. And if we're honest every moment of our lives is in God's hands. It is God who sustains all creation, and it is our God who sustains us moment by moment.
What we need to fully grasp is that we are so important to the heart of God that he is focused every moment upon us. What was it that Paul said to us? “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will he not also with Him freely give us all things?”
If we are so important to the heart of God that he would give Jesus for us, how could we ever imagine that anything in all creation is more important than we are?
Never forget! You are the focus of God's heart.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
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