Throwing the White Flag

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25.

One of the most basic but difficult principles in living a Christian life is being fully surrendered to Christ. To surrender is to give up possession of something, to yield to a strong emotion or influence and to abandon rights to something.

Loving our life without surrender will cause us to live our lives towards our own agenda and will. We will pursue the things of this life without regard to the rewards of the eternal life. Another definition of surrendering is the act of relinquishing control or possession to somebody or something.

When Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, he didn’t think of ways to buy time to figure out a better way or a sufficient sacrifice. The Bible says that he set out first thing the next morning with every intention to offer his son to God through obedience. He neither negotiated with nor calculated without God in bringing about his will for his son’s life. He raised that white flag and surrendered what God had asked him to surrender. Surrender is the ultimate sacrifice and offering that may be made to God. What you are surrendering holds no value compared to the act of surrendering. To surrender our Isaac on the altar of God, whatever that offering may be, is the practice that will bless us, please God and yield to Him.

In times of war, the white flag is not raised because they are buying into what lies ahead, but rather success and victory can no longer be seen on the horizon. The opposite is true with our lives once we become Christians and choose to surrender our battles.

“The way we come to see Jesus is through surrender. The blessing of living life abandoned to Him is to witness His daily power and grace alive and flowing through our lives into the lives of others.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest.

When we throw the white flag to Christ we have His assurance that we will triumphantly walk towards victory as He leads. We must trust Him and lay down our Isaac.