A Post by Kenny Velsor

Matthew 4:19-20
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 19:21-22
21 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”
22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

What beautiful words we sing! With hands raised, with a tear in our eyes we sing “All to Jesus I surrender. All to thee I freely give.” However, those words can change your life for the better or worse…
Above there are two stories about men who made the very decision to surrender or to hold on. Jesus says “follow me”. With no promise of stability or anything specific. Both men were given a choice. The rich young ruler left Jesus upset and unwilling to surrender because he wanted to hold onto what he thought would make him successful. He thought he had it all under control.
For Peter and his brother there was no question about it. “They left their nets and followed Him.” And in that moment the adventure had begun. With its ups and downs Jesus would use the faith of these men to change the world forever.
Which one are you. Do we say “God I surrender it all to you” out of an emotional plea for Him to rescue us from whatever problem we’re experiencing? How about “I surrender almost all of it, and I’ll hold on to part of it?” Or is it a daily, genuine surrender of self, knowing that God has it all figured out, and we’re going to let Him take the wheel and direct our lives.
Our Heavenly Father wants to manage our lives. He knows we’re weak and prone to do things our way instead of His. He knows what we need. “All to Jesus I surrender. All to thee I freely give.” It’s a powerful statement that can have life changing effects for this life and the next.