In some of the more traditional churches today, we sing a hymn called, I Surrender All. The first verse and chorus go like this:
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.[1]
At the church I attend now we sing a contemporary Christian song that I think is called, More Like Jesus. The words to the chorus go:
If more of You means
less of me
Take
ev'rything
Yes, all of
You is all I need
Take
ev'rything[2]
It is easy to sing along without thinking about what we are saying really means. Does all, or everything, mean a commitment of the whole person; body, mind and spirit. The material things of this life must also be dedicated to the Lord’s work – are they? How about the desires, hopes, and dreams we create? Are they subject to God’s plan for our lives? Who do we put in the driver’s seat?
We each need to take a hard look at what it means when we say, “I surrender all” or “take everything.” Does “all” really mean all? Does “everything” mean giving our complete devotion to the Lord, or sacrificing our career, our friends or family, our house, or “everything” else. The “self” is often the hardest thing to set aside. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23 NKJV)[3]
Jesus Christ set an example for us to follow. Following His advent, He was all of
God in a human body. (Colossians 1:19) He was with God from all
eternity past. (John 1:1-2, John 17:5) All things were created through Him (John 1:3), and in Him all things
hold together. (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:2-3)
Try to envision the enormity of the universe, and the power required to
create it and hold it together. Jesus set aside the power and glory He had in
heaven to come to live in a human body with us as a servant. He humbled Himself to be obedient to the
Father, even to the point of death. (Philippians 2:5-8) Nobody took His life, He gave it for us
voluntarily. (John 10:17-18)
In many places around the world, living for Jesus means that you may have to die for Him. In some places, even owning a Bible can get you killed. The levels of persecution vary, but Christians are being shunned, denied equal employment, taxed, and beaten and disowned by family. Their property is being confiscated, and they are being driven out of their homes and communities, arrested and interrogated, and jailed. In some countries, Christians are confined to concentration camps, imprisoned under inhumane conditions, tortured, and executed.
The following list does not include all of the countries in which Christians are persecuted, or the level of persecution in each one. I hope, however, it will give you an idea of how widespread the persecution of Christians is: North Korea, the Peoples Republic of China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Laos, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco, Colombia, Cuba, and Southern Mexico.
Here in the United States, the Christian point of view is often labeled as bigoted, homophobic, racist, hate speech, ignorant, and ‘out of touch.’ Giving one’s testimony for Christ can get you in trouble at school, in the workplace, and in certain public forums. Speaking God’s truth as given in the Bible brings derisive criticism for being a “bible thumper” or for trying to force Christianity on people who don’t want to hear it. The secular entertainment industry consistently mocks Christians and portrays them to be judgmental, abusive, inflexible, and hateful.
Persecution is already here. Are we American Christians ready to give up “everything” for our testimony
about Jesus Christ?
[1] https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Surrender_All/
Van DeVenter, Judson W. I Surrender All. Public
Domain 1896
[2] https://www.christian-songlyrics.net/2019/06/more-like-jesus-live-lyrics-passion.html
B. Younker, B. Ligertwood, K. Stanfill, and
S. Ligertwood, More Like Jesus. Whole Heart Album 2018
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