Surrender

 O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the LORD, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins. Jeremiah 4:4  

God desires surrender, the surrender of our hearts. I have been walking this Christian journey for a long time. In my recent history, I realize I really didn't do a complete surrender at the beginning. God is still changing my heart.  As I ponder this scripture, I wonder if I still have areas of my heart that I have not surrendered? God is the creator of all. He owns everything. He is a sovereign God. This last election did not go the way I wanted it to go. But I believe God is still in control. Last September we lost the mother of my 11-year-old Grandson at 34 years of age. I hear others at the age of 80 beats the corona-virus. People younger than me die of it. A dear sister at church Died of Corona just this past month. I look back at my carnal lifestyle of a few years back, I hadn't surrendered everything. The trials and tribulations God allowed were an attempt to bring me closer. It is said God never wastes a trial. God desires the surrender of our hearts. I had a home in Arlington, WA that I really loved. I remember one time talking to God about it and saying God I really like this home, I value it, but if it means more than it should, if it stands between me and you, take it. I wanted to surrender my heart to God. God took it. I am going through a class right now that is looking at scripture dealing with finances and for years I thought I was doing pretty good because I was pretty religious about giving 10% to God. I felt I had even developed a cheerful heart about giving the 10%. I feel God is dealing with me about the other 90%. It all belongs to God, every last dime. It is another part of my heart that needs to be surrendered. Many times I have asked God to search my heart and see if there is anything else I hold back.  God wants all of us. He wants to be first in our hearts. He develops us and changes us with as much as we surrender. Why is it so hard? I suppose some of it is because we often compare our Heavenly Father to our earthly father and they are not the same.  Our earthly fathers were fallible as we are, imperfect image-bearers.  But it is more than that. Each of us is an individual, with different thoughts and quirks. There are no two alike, God wants us just as we are, he develops our uniqueness as he desires. But he does desire a complete surrender just as he desired the surrender of Judah and Israel back in Jeremiah's day. Have I fully surrendered my heart to him? Are there areas I still keep to myself? Complete surrender of our hearts is what God desires.  God bless, LVZ.