This path of surrender is not easy.
In fact, once you do surrender you will more than likely face battles.
In my life, after I surrendered I returned to my “Christian” school to face ridicule for living for the Lord. I lost friends, but I had to learn how to stand for Him right away…
Some face even deeper trials. …“Betty Scott grew up in china, where her parents were missionaries. She returned to the US at the age of seventeen for her last year of high school, followed by college and Bible institute. During those years, Betty penned a prayer that has become the petition of many other believers who long to live a life of unconditional surrender to Jesus as Lord:
Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes, all my own desires hopes, and ambitions, and I accept Thy will for my life.I give up myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships; all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, for to me to live is Christ. Amen.
After completing her schooling, Betty returned to China to serve with the China Inland Mission.
Two years later, in October of 1933, she married John Stam, also a CIM worker. In December of 1934, just weeks after the birth of their baby girl, John and Betty were taken hostage by hostile Communist soldiers, and within a few days were beheaded.
Betty was 28 years old. When she wrote “Work out THY whole will in my life at any cost,” she had no way of knowing what full surrender would cost her. I’m confident that Betty, having laid down her life for Christ would not think the price too high.
Some would say this type of thinking is kin to slavery. In a sense they are right.
Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
I Cor. 7:21-23
What do you think is the difference between a slave and servant?
According to the Greek, the word SLAVE is doulos and in the Greek SERVANT is diakonos. In some cases the translators replaced the word doulos with the word SERVANT. An interesting thing to note though, is that in the NT one is never diakonos (servant) to God. One is only ever doulos (slave) to God. So in I Cor 7… the Greek word there is actually doulos… SLAVE. Read it with slave interchanged… does it make a difference?
In Webster’s dictionary SERVANT means one employed to perform services, and SLAVE is one owned as property by and is absolutely subject to the will of another. We were bought with a price… so which one are we?
In Exodus 21:1-2 and 5-6 we see the outlining of the “bond slave” option for those slaves who had been owned by a “good” master.
They loved their master so much and he took such good care of them , they didn’t want to leave his service. So, they chose to become a bondslave. This meant a public acknowledgement of their desire, and a public (the piercing of their ear) to symbolize their choice.
This choice was not irreversible. In fact, if they ever thought to change their mind all they had to do was look in the mirror, they would bear in themselves the mark as long as they lived.
Here are these verses in Exodus 21, yet there are no recorded incidents in the scriptures of anyone doing this. Why did God suggest the “bondslave” option? I believe, as so many other things in the OT, that this is a “picture” that points to our Savior.
Phil 2:7 says that Christ came and took on the form of a servant (doulous – bondslave) so He could deliver those in bondage to sin.
Hebrews 2:10-18 Psalm 40:6-8 speaks of this as well.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
The middle part there that speaks of “mine ears hast though opened” gives the idea that they were “digged” or pierced. This scripture then alludes to Christ choosing to take on flesh becoming doulos and being pierced for us.
The disciples also chose to walk in our Lord’s footsteps and identified themselves as doulos – SLAVES as well. Galatians 6:17 Paul mentions that he bears in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus – He’s saying “ I’m a man with a hole in my ear, too!” – I’m a bondslave of Christ.
So, what is the difference between being a servant and being a “bondslave” for Christ?
The bondslave CHOOSES to live for their Master!
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