The Impossible Christian Life
Yielding, resting, surrendering. Those words, adapted from Colossians 1:24-29, were in the sermon on Sunday. The mystery is Christ in me, the hope of glory, the secret to living the Christian life. Brian told us that those three things are what we are called to – in other words, that is our “work” in the Christian life. And that got me thinking about those three words.
What came to mind was the posturing used in each of them. When someone yields, he gets out of the way. For example, we’ve all seen TV shows where people move out of the way because a dignitary is coming through. If we’re on the road and a siren is blaring behind us, we move out of the way, yielding to them. Likewise, when you think of what it means to surrender, you might think of waving the white flag, but often when an army surrenders, they take a knee and bow to the conqueror. Sometimes they lay flat out on their faces. When I find myself in a struggle with God, I will often get on my knees in a posture of surrender, to remind myself that God is in control, I am not. And finally, to rest is to be still, to cease striving, to trust. We usually rest by lying down.
Each of these postures makes striving and controlling impossible. So the thought came to me that if I understand my need to get out of the way, if I understand the picture of surrender and am on my knees before God, and if I understand that rest means being still and not striving, I understand the “work” that I am called to do in the Christian life. None of those things comes naturally. We want to be in charge, to be the conqueror, not the conquered, we want to strive, to labor. We find value in all those things. But Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus isn’t saying: “Hey, when you’ve done all you can and you’ve exhausted every possible option, come to me.” No, this is a call to salvation - to rest in the finished work of Christ, to surrender your life, to yield your heart. This is a call to preach the Gospel to yourself daily, so that you live in constant surrender to the Hope of Glory that lives in you!