Surrender What Jesus Uncovers
By Rick Warren
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”(Philippians 1:6 NLT).
It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.
Before Christ enters our lives at conversion, he often must allow us to experience problems so that he can get our attention and show us that we’re living a life built on a faulty foundation. In truth, that faulty foundation is what causes many of the problems in our lives.
Jesus demands that we surrender all of our life to him. He doesn’t want a small portion of who you are. It’s like this — when you’re trying to climb out of a river that has a steep bank, you have to get a foothold on something to start the climb. And once you get the foothold, you can climb up the bank and walk all around.
Some of us, when we invited Jesus into our lives, simply gave him a foothold, but we’re resisting his efforts to step fully up onto the bank so he can fully access our lives. Jesus isn’t willing to stand there on that foothold. He wants you to give him all of your life.
You may think you’ve surrendered all of your life to him, but the truth is, you’re still hanging on to some parts of your life. Jesus isn’t upset with you. He simply wants to work with you to help you uncover areas that you still need to surrender to him.
There will be struggles and battles, but the outcome will never be in question. God has promised that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV).
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Rest and recover from life’s battles
The truth is, going through life we all get at a little bruised and battered. And that means everyone needs recovery from something.
Maybe you need help dealing with pain from a current relationship, or hurts from your past. Maybe you need to heal spiritually, or renew your emotional health.
Regardless of the problems you face, Pastor Rick Warren wants to help you heal by sending you his Life’s Healing Choices Complete Audio Series.
In these 8 messages based on the Beatitudes (Matthew Chapter 5), you’ll hear about the choices you can make to lead you to the true healing and recovery that can only be found in Jesus. Choices like . . .
• The Reality Choice
• The Transformation Choice
• The Growth Choice
Please give your best gift below to help more people learn, love, and live the Word with Daily Hope — and we’ll say thanks by sending you the Life’s Healing Choices Complete Audio Series available as an 8 CD boxed set or high-quality MP3 download.
May God work through these messages to help you rest and recover from life’s battles with the eternal hope of his Word.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
