Friday Morning Prayer:)… October 25, 2018

October 25, 2018 - 6 minutes read
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
 
 
I surrender all,
  I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
    I surrender all.
 
 
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
 
 
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.[1]
 
 
“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”[2]
______________
 
What do I care about most in this life?  Am I willing to give it all up for Jesus?  As Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”[3]  O Lord, you know all things.  Our sovereign God has called us to follow him every moment of every day.  God knows my distractions; those things that I fail to surrender and struggle to overcome in my own strength.  Praise our gracious God, even when we are distracted, he is always faithful to love us through our trials, to strengthen and mold us into the likeness of Jesus.  To truly love Jesus is supernatural, a God-given desire of a regenerate heart where the Spirit of God dwells and overflows into every area of our lives.   I want more of this life-changing, transforming, God-given desire.
 
 
I pray my distractions and yours too are short lived.  God is our only refuge all the time in every circumstance, especially during times of disappointment, grief, sadness, heartache.  Truly, we experience a life hidden in Christ, loved by our Father, and empowered by the Spirit of glory.  Therefore, we sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!  O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”[4]  Moreover, “You alone are my strength my shield to you alone may my spirit yield.  You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee.  You are my friend and you are my brother, even though you are a king, I love you more than any other, so much more than anything.”[5] 
 
 
As we worship our God in spirit and truth, oh the joy to prayerfully sing “All to Jesus I surrender, make me, Savior, wholly Thine; let me feel the Holy Spirit, truly know that Thou art mine.”  Our gracious God hears the prayers from a humble heart desperate for Thee.  We echo with the psalmist, “Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me.”[6]  Through our Lord Jesus, God is our rock of refuge, to which we can always go.
 
 
Beloved, our Christ life is one of absolute surrender.   We commune with God and enjoy him as we die to self, and live for Christ.  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”[7]  A life in Christ, led by the Spirit, born from above is God’s design for every truly regenerate heart.  Jesus made it very clear, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”[8]  John encourages us, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him….  believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.”[9]
 
 
“…And this is how we know that he lives in us:  We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”[10]
 
 
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
 
 
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
_________
 
 
Sisters in Christ are meeting to pray.  First Baptist.  1912 Arnold Way.  Alpine.  0900.
You are invited to join faithful gals for a sweet hour of prayer.  A time of encouragement and love expressed between Christ-centered gals.  
 
Brothers are meeting too!  Bethel Assembly.  1939 Arnold Way.  Alpine. 0730.
You are invited to join with diverse brothers to enjoy a time of encouragement and prayer before the throne of grace.  Join us if your schedule allows. 
 
 
 

[2] Luke 14:33
[3] John 21:15
[6] Psalm 71:12
[7] Luke 9:23-24
[8] John 3:3
[9] 1 John 3:21-23
[10] Ibid v. 24