Surrender yourself. Humble yourself. Be meek and mild.

Them’s fightin’ words!! In a society where self-love, self-care, and self-made are exalted, being meek, humble, and surrendered goes against the very strong flow of the world. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Luke 9:23 tells us to deny ourselves and follow Christ. Romans 12:1-2 tell us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God and not be conformed to the world.

What does surrender mean? Think of an army surrendering to its enemy…they are saying, “We give up to a superior power. We can’t fight anymore.” When we truly surrender to Christ, we yield to His superior authority. We give SELF up for Him.

Likewise, to be humble means I destroy my own independence, power, and will in exchange for the superior independence, power, and will of God Himself.

Being meek these days is not cool. The world tells us to be bold and take what we “deserve” to make us happy. Do whatever it takes to be “true to yourself”. But the Word tells us to be meek…gentle and mild. One commentary puts it this way:

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the Old Testament, the meek are those who wholly rely on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice…Meekness stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation.

In what ways are you clinging to your own power and control instead of surrendering to God? How can you be meek and humble, truly trusting God’s goodness…not just in hard times, but in the day-to-day? Soak yourself in the Word and spend dedicated time in prayer, seeking the Lord in how you can live fully surrendered to Him, not self!

-Jenn