I have decided to follow Jesus, and as the song says there’s “no turning back.” But, how am I supposed to follow Him in everything? What does it look like to make Jesus the complete and sole ruler over my life? Making Jesus Lord helped me discover the answers to these questions and find practical steps to give everything over to God.
As humans, we like to be in control. We like to feel secure and safe, and handing control over to someone else can be a really frightening prospect. But if you truly trust God and want to follow Him, you will not only be willing, but happy to give up your control! God loves us so much more than we ever could love anything. He wants to help us live out our calling, and enjoy a life that will give us true peace, joy, and fulfillment which only comes from Him. So, as a follower of Jesus, I want to make him my Lord of all!
Now, my question is what does it mean to hand over the reins to God? I already have said that I believe in Jesus, and I’m here at DTS, and I go to church every Sunday, so what else? Well, according to Making Jesus Lord, LITERALLY EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE needs to be submitted to the Lord. I know, I know, that sounds like a lot. And that’s because it is! You have to be willing to give up your future, plans, finances, relationships, clothing, food, your reputation, your right to be mad, etc. You even have to be willing to lay down your very life for Jesus Christ. But through this laying down of one’s rights, you are able to witness God provide and look after us in miraculous ways that only serve to strengthen your faith and love!
Because of my upbringing, I’m prone to worrying about little things quite frequently. So, giving up my worries about what I will wear, do, eat, say, what others will think of me, etc. is actually rather difficult due to “stressing out” being somewhat of a habit. So, the process of casting my cares at the foot of the cross is one that I find myself needing to repeat nearly every day. But after reading Making Jesus Lord I find it a lot easier to put my trust fully in God! The examples that Loren Cunningham used to illustrate how the Shepherd cares for His sheep really inspired me and gave me faith to trust Him to do what seems impossible!
Another thing I worry about a lot (even though I’m only eighteen) is my future husband! Who will I end up with? Will they be the right person? How will I know? Will I ever find love? Etc. But after reading the chapter in Making Jesus Lord that talks about marriage I feel a lot of pressure taken off of my shoulders. Loren Cunningham says to pray and relinquish your right to a spouse to God, so I did. I prayed to Jesus telling Him that I will trust in Him for my future husband and that I’ll only get married if He wants me to - if it would serve the kingdom well. And now I feel like I don’t need to worry so much about what the guys in my life think about me, I don’t need to worry about making myself “date-able,” I only need to focus on my relationship with God!
When I first started reading Making Jesus Lord I thought that it seemed like there was so much to do and give up to truly follow God with all my heart, and so I was quite hesitant and stressed at first. But as I began implementing the principals of fully trusting God with my life, one piece at a time, I came upon a beautiful revelation: There’s freedom and peace in becoming a slave to God. Relinquishing control is extremely difficult, but now that I’ve started to do it, I find that I feel so much lighter! God knows better than I do, and He has plans not to harm me, but to give me a future and a hope! He alone knows my original design and what will truly fulfill me, so I feel excited to put my trust in Him!
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
If God wants me to go somewhere, I trust He will bring me to that place. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to come to DTS due to my financial situation, but once I decided to place my trust in God, and say “yes,” God provided all the finances I needed and more! I was blown away by how much and how quickly God gave to me. It really confirmed to me that God wanted me to come to DTS.
With God as my King, I won’t have to worry and search for meaning in my life, but instead, I can excitedly follow His perfect plans for me and my life, enjoying his unending joy and love throughout the adventure! Times will be hard, but God is always good, and therefore I need not fear!
In the book, Loren Cunningham says a phrase several times which has served to inspire me and be a comfort to me as I embark on this quest of placing my faith entirely in God:
“If you try to save your life, you’ll lose it. But if you lose it for the Lord’s sake and the gospel’s, you will save it.”
This is in line with another principal that Loren Cunningham brings up in Making Jesus Lord, the concept of moving in “Opposite Spirit.” That means that if the enemy comes at you with anger and shouting, you respond with love, kindness, and gentility. If the world tells you to hold close to your life, and that you are your own god, you respond with giving your life completely unto Jesus and proclaim Him as your one and only God!
The act of moving in opposite spirit to what the world and the enemy says to do has been really helpful for me even in the short time since I learned about it. In situations where I would typically get frustrated or just shut down, I have instead called out to God asking Him what to do, and how I can move against my natural, sinful inclinations, and I have been a lot happier and more joyful.
After reading Making Jesus Lord, I have realized how much I truly want and need to submit my life to Christ. He is my joy, my peace, my strength, the creator of the world, and the lover of my soul, and I want Him to be in every aspect of my life! I want his love to flow out of everything I do and to shine out of my face like sunbeams! I want to glorify Him in everything I do, and if that means giving up everything, then I’m more than willing. Take my life, take my soul, take my everything! I just want to be with you, Jesus! To experience your goodness! :)
~Hope Starr, 성소망
Comments