Resignation v. Surrender

2 Corinthians 11:30, "If I boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness."

This blog from day one, mostly without intention, has been about this concept of surrender. To die daily with Christ. To take up His cross daily. All synonymous with one another and different in expression so that we being different in makeup, education, influence, etc can understand.

Surrender in so many ways involves understanding the weakness of humanity and self. To surrender one has to come to the end of their abilities, understanding, strengths, knowledge... virtually everything. But one thing that is very important to understand is that surrender is not resignation.

Resignation is to quit. Surrender is to lay it down. Resignation is to loose, surrender is to understand that victory is not possible with human ability, thoughts, or plans. Resignation is to abandon hope, surrender is to put all hope in Christ. Resignation is to believe that what ever will be will be, surrender is to rest in the fact that God is in control working everything to the good for those who love Him.

So there is a stark difference in life beating you, and bringing you to a place of utter defeat where you resign to give up and abandon even the hope of God, and surrender where life proves to you that you cannot do anything apart from Christ and the will of God. They look very very similar, but are markedly different.

Surrender is perhaps part of, if not sanctification in its entirety. And surrender leads to a resurrection, whereas resignation leads to nothing at all.

In surrender we lay down all assets. Assets being not only possessions and finances; but talents and intellectual, physical, and emotional assets as well. All laid at the feet of Christ TO NOT BE USED outside of obedience. Its a hard thing to start, but once you practice a while it gets easier and easier. But initially it is very hard to know that you can do something to effect change in a situation, but to do nothing in the absence of direction of God is true obedience. To do nothing in the absence of DIRECT direction from God is surrender.

All that said, this laying down of everything is the acknowledgment of our weakness. We do not have to take our talents into life, and suffer loss after loss in order to understand we are weak without God. We are weak. Fight as you might in your abilities and discover the weakness firsthand, or do like Moses and acknowledge it straight up front. Like Moses I want to come to the place where I can say if God will not go with me I will not go. I am weak, and unless He goes, it is all pointless.