Total Control
“In my heart and my soul, I give you control, Consume me from the inside out Lord” ~ Hillsong – From the inside out
Giving Jesus total control is tough. We want to hold on to the reigns. We want to keep some control ourselves. We can’t imagine surrendering everything to him. But we must let him consume us from the inside out. We must give over all our thoughts, ambitions, dreams, hopes and plans to him. For his way is better. He has plans to prosper us – Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God had plans in place for our lives from before we were even born: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”[Psalm 139:16]) Following Jesus is better than going it our own way. Jesus should be in the driver’s seat of our lives, not a passenger we take along for the ride. Surrender all to him and let justice and praise become your embrace.Let him fill you with love, and you will be known by all who see you as someone who is different, someone who is living for more than earthly things that will pass away. Paul tells us to “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live” [1 Thessalonians 4:11-12] When you are fully surrendered to Jesus people are going to notice. And while some people will persecute you for taking that stand, many others are going to respect you for living with integrity. People will ask you questions and want to know more. How amazing would it be if we as Christians were know, not as people who are old-fashioned and irrelevant, but as people who loved all?
Jesus tells us that the most important commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” A close second is the command to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). It all starts with giving Him control of our hearts and souls, resolving to love from the inside out. Rather than getting caught up in other things, let’s resolve to make love our priority, loving God, and loving people made in his image.
We can’t give Jesus partial control. We have to let him fully have his way with us. Even when that is tough. Even when that means giving up things we like. Even when it means making less popular choices. When it means not going along with the crowd. When speaking up for your faith will get you into trouble. We can’t just give Jesus control when it is easy, we have to follow His lead when the going gets tough too.
Jesus walked the difficult path. He knew hardship and suffering. But he never strayed from following his Father’s guidance. He followed it faithfully to Calvary. Following Jesus may not be easy, but he will never let us down. In the eternal scheme of things it will all be worthwhile.
His light never fades, so give him control in your life and let that light shine out into the darkness until the whole world sees it.