I Surrender All

Do I Surrender All?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1 NLT

I love the way that one of my friends opens in prayer at our men’s meeting, saying, “Thank you God for another day that was never promised.” I love it because it reminds me that as I begin my day it is a gift that God has freely given. Whether I am sick or well, able to pay the bills or looking at an overdraft message from the bank, the hours that lie ahead are evidence of God’s grace. I love that prayer because it reminds me of the Hymn, “I Surrender All,”. Full surrender, or as today’s verse says, giving our bodies as a living sacrifice, is the perfect response to God’s grace. It tells us that rather than using our day however we please, an “I surrender all” attitude, is the only way to truly worship God, But to be honest, there are days when I couldn’t sing words like, “worldly pleasures all forsaken,” or, “I will ever love and TRUST Him.” because I like to reserve something for myself. Instead of trusting the hand of God, I rush around trying to do things on my own. Or I decide that there are a few worldly pleasures that I deserve and when the Holy Spirit convicts me by speaking in His still small voice, I turn down the volume and plow ahead with my own plans. But God in His great mercy and faithfulness has a way of getting our attention when we stray. Just like sheep who wander far from home and get tangled up in thorns or stuck at the bottom of a pit, we discover that our way was not so great after all and that maybe God was right. What a blessing that when we have fallen, we have a Good Shepherd. Though He has been seeking us all along, He has had to wait for us to stop our struggling, and surrender to His will, Then He begins to untangle us from the mess we made. In surrender we make the amazing discovery that once we give up our demand to be large and in charge, Jesus begins His work of restoration and healing. His plans and calling are far better than anything we could think or imagine, but He awaits our surrender to Him, as He surrendered Himself for us.

I love the fact that Billy Graham called this hymn one of his favorites, because during the time when he attended what today is called, Trinity Bible College, not far from where we live, Judson De Venter, who wrote the hymn, often preached at the school. The full surrender that God had planned for Billy Graham, continues to impact the lives of millions of people around the globe. We will probably never gain a worldwide reputation as Billy Graham did, but when we release our grip on our desires, our homes and even our finances, God will begin to use them in ways far beyond anything we could imagine, as a blessing in the lives of others and then lead us into a deeper walk with Him.

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
Judson Van De Venter 1896

Serving Communion at Assisted Living

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV

I still remember the first time I served communion at one of the facilities that I visit here in Florida. I felt nervous because I wasn't sure who could receive because of dietary restrictions or their particular beliefs about communion. But as the Holy Spirit continued to impress on my heart the need to offer this as one of the essential ordinances of the church, I pressed ahead. After our meeting, one of the residents thanked me and said with tears, "Thank you so much. This is the first time I have been able to have communion in over a year!" If you are in any way involved in long-term care ministry, even if that means simply visiting people in their homes, I urge you to prayerfully consider bringing the Lord's Supper to our brothers and sisters who can no longer easily go to church. Here in this simple video, you will notice that the message is Biblical, complete and shared in less than four minutes. Then, while the elements are being passed, I sing two of the precious older hymns that reflect on the holiness of the moment. I hope you will be blessed, and if you want to learn more about nursing home ministry, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel or following me here on WordPress. Have a blessed day everyone!

Surrender All!

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

When Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox courthouse in 1865, Ulysses S. Grant didn’t want to hear, “I surrender some.” and neither does Jesus. But just as our country began to heal and become stronger than ever before, so it is when we surrender to Jesus. He hasn’t given HIs life to destroy ours, but to give us an abundant eternal life both in Heaven and for the time we have to serve Him here on earth. Why not surrender you all to Jesus today!