Sweet Love 2! Surrender implies...

The sacrifice of self is a complete surrender to God, saying I am wholly yours. Mary’s response to God, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 Mary did not think of self.

When we let go of the world, it is the most difficult step to take. Therefore it is most important:-that 

• I (We) believe that God has forgiven my (our) sins. 
• I (We) believe that i am (we are) unconditionally loved by God. 

Surrender implies that whatever comes ones way, one implicitly trusts God. When we speak of surrender, failure becomes a walk of life, because we do not give in to our desires. One cannot choose a top notch position and say one has given up everything. That would be a lie. The position one holds in the world, be it a job or Church work, must come from God not anything from ones doing. And it is a sad thing that there is a craving-a mad rush, the desire to be seen and heard. It's an addiction. 

I believe, if God wants to make you His Saint, He will make you one. He will bring forth people, He will bring forth documentations, even from the farthest parts of the world. We have to learn to trust, God. Everything, in His time, His way! When God intends, everything moves. And I believe with all my heart.

I believe that the Heart must speak good and desire to do good. Some women do good with helping in the Church work. But their tongues are sharp, always on the lookout to criticize and to point out others sin. They can be mean, nasty and bitter. It is hard for them to be kind. This is not, what Jesus expects of us.

Before Covid-19 a known personality (I wont mention the name) came to Church for mass and was seated with his family. After mass, this silly woman walks up to him and asks him why he is seated in the Church. And then she asks him to leave. Imagine what he must have felt with his family seated beside him. Imagine God's heart breaking too. Now, did Jesus give her the approval. NO! 

People come to Church to pray, but would you believe that women not only pray but they also watch who is receiving Communion and who is not. How many times, have women come and asked me as to why I don't receive Communion? Then I answer them, 'this is my third mass, that I am participating in'. I don't speak anything else. I don't need to.

These women, when they come to talk, expect me to tell them a story. One woman gave me those horrible looks as she asked me the question. And she already judged me with the looks that she gave me. I felt horrible, because I could see the look in her face. Watching what I do during the celebration of the mass, means you have missed in participating in the sacrifice of Jesus. Anyway this same woman then came on 3-4 different days for the 6:00am and 6:45am mass. I know because even without an effort, from myside, I could see her. 

When I come to Church, I come to be with GOD! And I'll tell you point blank, so you don't have to assume, I am a wretched sinner, but for His grace what am I? 

It is a very difficult path to walk on. Especially, when people are mean to you, do the most hurtful things, you got to choose to love with all your heart. As the going gets tough, chances are one would want to opt out, a surrender is never going to be easy. It is at those crucial moments, that I whisper to Jesus, “I trust You Jesus”. And I pray, “I am in trouble Lord, Help me.” 

What am I without God’s grace? Nothing! 

What can I do without His grace? Absolutely-Nothing! 

Surrender, has to be with the grace of God. Without God we don’t stand a chance. 

What is obedience? 

In simple terms, obedience is compliance with an order, request, law or submission to another's authority. It is behavior that's respectful and mindful of rules and laws. 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 

The Bible stresses it as an essential part of the Christian faith. 

Obedience is better than sacrifice because we are letting God be God and staying in our proper place with Him, the place of dependence and surrender to His goodness. 

To be obedient is to surrender to God and desire His will in all things. God expects obedience (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). 

To choose Christ is to choose obedience. 

John 14:15 - If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 

John 14:21 - He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 

When we let go of the world, we let go of our dreams, we let go of the desires that hold us, we let go of our selves, and this part is the most difficult one. But we cannot take this step without the grace of God, without the help of the spirit of God. 

A surrender is: 

• It is not making up ones mind and saying today I surrender. It does not work that way. 
• To surrender implies a heart full of love and a forgiving heart. A surrender implies: Obedience to God and to people who we are answerable to-- Obedience to Priests, a wife's obedience to her husband and children's obedience to their parents. Obedience to all our elders and obedience to the Boss and obedience to the Government. 
• There has to be no bitterness, no anger and no grudge. 
• And most importantly also no gossiping. 
• It is a constant walk with God, undergoing trials and staying firm. 
• You will meet with failures, insults and humiliation and the last one is the most difficult one, for it breaks your heart in a million ways. Find your joy, in the midst of this experience. And the only way one can experience Joy, is by keeping our gaze on Jesus.
• Forgive wholeheartedly!
• And remember a trial comes purely from God. You can't fight with someone and when that person gives you a tough time, declare that you are being persecuted. It is what you call self inflicted.
• A trial can be a week long, a month long or maybe years, before things suddenly change. 
• A surrender implies, that you leave everything to God and trust HIM and HIM alone! 
• It is a trust that no matter what happens, God will never abandon me. 
• God is faithful and so I must learn from Him to be faithful too. 
• We have to pray to be able to discern. 
• The Spirit of God will always guide me telling me gently, ‘let it not affect you’. Someone does you wrong, someone hurts you-says bad things about you, ‘let it not affect you’.
• Everything I do, I do with the consent of God. My whole day is directed by the Spirit of God. And when something gets difficult, I look up to Mary, the perfect model, the perfect silent martyr. 
• It is an understanding between God and me, a perfect union where I understand His silence and His softest whispers and the gentle breeze across my face. 
• It is most important-that, we believe that God has forgiven our sins. We believe that we are unconditionally loved by God. 
• When you love, truly love God with all your heart, a surrendered life is the outcome. My life is not my own, it is God’s gift to me. My surrender implies my love for God and for His Will in my life. 
• May we always be like Mary and with all the simplicity pray those wonderful words, ‘let it be to me according to your word’. 
• God accomplishes His will in us, when we trust and leave everything to Him and when we surrender not worrying for tomorrow, or about tomorrow.