The Freedom of Surrender

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By Gary Thomas on May 10, 2009 ,

The Freedom of Surrender

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Lk. 9:24)

Mike is a dynamic Christian and Worship leader. During a recreational basketball game, he bristled at a referee's fifth lousy call. Mike wanted to tell the referee what he thought about his officiating. Inwardly, he was tempted to pray, "God let me just stop being a Christian for 30 seconds. I'll repent and come right back, I promise. I just have to let this guy have it."

At that moment, Mike felt like the call to surrender to God was no less irritating than a horse being reined in by a hard tug on a steel bit. He found that it's one thing to surrender to God when you are leading worship and everyone is smiling. It is quite another thing to surrender to God when you feel you've been wronged. . .

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Gary Thomas

Pastor

Gary Thomas received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Western Washington University in 1984. He studied under the Christian theologian J. I. Packer at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, receiving a master's degree in 1988 in systematic theology. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, in 2006 in recognition of his contributions made in the field of spiritual formation. Thomas is a regular teaching pastor at Second Baptist Church Houston, the fourth-largest church in the United States in 2013, with over 21,000 in weekly attendance. Thomas is the author of 20 published books. His most notable works include Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, and Authentic Faith.

 

Notice: This material is made available for limited use to participants of the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows programs. Please do not reproduce any of the materials in the Fellows Resources other than for your personal use.

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