Like the Apostle Paul, I do believe the missing link to understanding the true meaning of absolute surrender to the person, nature and will of God, is LOVE itself. Love is what answers the question, why we should surrender all and completely sacrifice our own self-preservation, to become one with our Creator.
Did you know, that this fight for self-preservation and independence, is in actual fact based on an internal struggle with fear? Fear of losing our identity and freedom. Fear of losing our rights, or being done in by someone who doesn't have our best interests at heart. How can we possibly surrender all and trust someone completely, if there is even the hint of a chance of ulterior motives or mistrust? Isn't that the very thought process the devil whispered into Adam and Eve's minds in the garden? The very mindset that took root in their souls and caused them to forfeit their authority and identity. That's rather ironic isn't it? Their fight for a false identity is what caused them to lose their original one.
The thing is, if, like Adam and Eve, we do hold on to this quest for self-preservation, of conforming to our own will; in reality, it only leads to dissatisfaction and disappointment. Firstly, because we were never created to live independent of the Father, because we simply aren't 'wired' that way. We were designed to only be complete and fulfilled in Him. Secondly, as mentioned before, trying to preserve our own will, actually stems from a place of mistrust. Mistrust stems from rejection, and rejection comes from our needs not being met. Adam and Eve had no reason to mistrust the Lord, He had crowned them with His glory. Everything they would ever need was placed within them. But the devil had, and still has absolutely no understanding of what it means to be completely fulfilled and satisfied by the presence of the Living God. He was and is driven by an inferno of selfish desire and self-preservation. He believes his ultimate need is to be elevated and worshiped, like God. And for the remainder of his existence, this destructive, misdirected passion will burn in Him and continue to fuel his self-indulgent appetite and compulsive desire to be sovereign, all powerful and worshiped, with absolutely no regard for anyone else.
So, when he saw how mankind was so easily, just given, just handed dominion and authority over all, at creation; he, being the opportunist he is, used his deceptive skills to take what he so desperately desired for himself. All it took was a seed from his selfish, misdirected nature. If he could plant a seed of mistrust and the delusion of self-preservation, he knew it would produce the results of rebellion and separation, or so called independence. Man who had his identity in God, lost it, in an attempt to find it in himself.
The problem was, the devil had missed the big picture. Because of his selfish, misguided quest, he failed to see that the very source of authority and dominion and the power to sustain it, belongs to God alone. And without a heart that is completely yielded and intimately connected to His absolute love and excellent nature, it can never be attained. Only a counterfeit copy, a shadow of the reality can be obtained. And that, at a very high cost. The cost of constant strife and struggle and fear of losing something you never really had to begin with.
That's why in order for us to truly know the freedom of being complete and fulfilled, has everything to do with finding our identity in the One Who created us and redeemed us to be His own. It's in Him, not independent of Him, that we truly live, and move forward in this life and have our purpose and being - which is our sense of belonging. (Acts 17:28).
So, if we ask the question again, "Why should we surrender all and completely sacrifice our own self-preservation,
to become one with our Creator?" The answer is, "Because He gave all for us."
By coming to earth, Christ gave up His authority and sovereignty, the very thing the devil so earnestly covets (Philippians 2:7). He laid it down, put it aside as less important than His object of affection, mankind. You see, the devil believes that Christ's identity is His power and authority, His ability to reign and have dominion and be sovereign. When in actual fact, Christ's true identity is in the love of His Father. He knew exactly Who He was, even without the trimmings of power and authority. Jesus knew His Father loved Him, unconditionally and completely, and that was and always will be the foundation for His reference of identity. Being secure, fulfilled and complete in His Father's love is what motivated and compelled Jesus to absolute obedience to His Father's will. Because Jesus loved His Father so much and was so loved by His Father, He willingly did what He knew would bring His Father pleasure. For God so loved the world, that His own Son, willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice. Jesus was so confident in the love of His Father, that the very thing His Father loved, became His love too. That would certainly make sense, considering the nature of their relationship. The Father and the Son are One. While on earth, Jesus spent every day of His life demonstrating the true nature of His Father. He was the epitome of complete unselfishness. He lived to serve and minister to the needs of all.
When Jesus obeyed His Father, by going through the waters of baptism, He received the full measure of His Father's presence and power, through the Holy Spirit - the third Person of the love trinity. Jesus, for our sake, showed us how to live guided by, and yielded to the Spirit of God on a daily basis. He demonstrated how to live completely dependent and reliant on the Spirit of truth. He never said or acted on His own impulse or desire, but always, first sought what the will of His Father was, and only acted on that. And as He did, He touched this world with perfect love, compassion and peace. His absolute unity with His Father, through the Spirit, brought healing and freedom. Freedom for all who were oppressed with fear and poverty of soul. This intimacy was for our sake, to show us how our relationship with God, can produce a full, fruitful and highly productive life. His being vitally connected to and completely dependent on His Father, through the Holy Spirit, caused Him to live on purpose.
Then the day came where He refused to elevate Himself in any way, but as an obedient sacrifice of perfect love. He demonstrated a love that can never be equalled. The love the Father has for us. Jesus gave up EVERYTHING to show us how real, and deep, and powerful His Father's love is. And our Heavenly Father gave up His only Begotten Son. His Son, who loved Him completely and selflessly to the point of absolute trust and obedience, to become the sin of the world. Jesus didn't just suffer death in the most cruel and horrific way, at the hand of mankind. He suffered the assault of the devil himself, and all the demonic hosts. What kind of love is this? That the Son of God, would willingly give up His life for us? It's the ultimate, perfect, unconditional love of our God. It's completely unselfish and sacrificial and that, dear reader is where it's power lies. This kind of love is perfect and can and will, never fail. It will always triumph, even over death.
