WARM-UP
Previously, we talked about how God gave us 100 percent by sending His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and give up that life as a sacrifice for our sins. Although it’s not an equal comparison, we discussed the similarities between God’s commitment to us and our commitment to athletics.
But it doesn’t end with sacrifice. For both the athlete and the follower of Christ, that’s just the beginning. The next step is surrender.
In order for the athlete to succeed, he or she must submit to the coach’s plan. It’s the coach, after all, whose job is to help the athlete become the best they can be. For the follower of Christ, on the other hand, he or she must surrender personal wants and desires and submit to God’s perfect plan and purpose for his or her life.
But it’s not just a one-time thing. It’s a daily choice to trust those in authority over you and have your best interest in mind.
It’s all about a 100 percent surrender of self!
Giving Up FTW
It doesn’t make a lot of sense, at least not when you first hear the words spoken, but sometimes you have to give up “FTW” (for the win). For instance, in order to advance your athletic career or your team’s goals you might need to surrender:
Time (sleeping in, recreation, hanging out with friends)
Personal goals (stats, records)
Personal desires (eating habits, workout habits)
Attitudes (opinions, always being right)
Otherwise, you’ll end up stuck in the back of the pack with nothing to show for your efforts. Pair up with another person and ask the following questions.
Q: Which of the things mentioned above have been hardest for you to surrender as you pursue your athletic goals?
Q: How has surrendering those things paid off?
WORKOUT
Picking Up Crosses
Surrender isn’t just a key component to a successful athletic career. It’s also one of the most important things that a follower of Christ must do in order to experience abundant life and the fullness of God’s purpose. In other words, when we surrender our lives to Him, we will have more hope, joy and peace than we can find through anything in this world. Surrender will also bring a greater measure of contentment and significance.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus taught about this principle to His closest followers (also known as disciples) during a somber moment in which He revealed that His death would be taking place soon (Luke 9:22).
What Jesus was telling the people probably didn’t make much sense in the moment. In the world’s economy, giving something up wasn’t the smart way to get something in return—much less when talking about life itself.
And even before He made that baffling proposition, Jesus instructed potential followers that they would have to take up a cross and follow Him every day. Jesus wasn’t talking about a literal cross, but the people in the crowd surely caught the metaphor. The cross was a symbol of death. They understood that Jesus was telling them that following Him would require a life-long commitment. Following Him meant surrendering their lives in exchange for a life with Him.
Q: Why do you think the word surrender usually has a negative meaning?
Q: What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it?”
Crucified With Christ
Before you can pick something up, you have to drop what’s already in your hands and leave it behind. In many ways, that’s exactly what Jesus was trying to convey through His message found in Luke 9.
The apostle Paul taught extensively about this principle in his many letters to the early Christian church including this challenging statement to believers in Rome:
Just like you have to surrender things in your life to become a successful athlete, you also must surrender things in your life that might keep you from wholeheartedly following after Jesus. Paul used another cross-themed metaphor in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “My old self has been crucified with Christ.”
That’s the picture of 100 percent surrender: giving up old habits and destructive behaviors, walking away from unhealthy friendships, shaking off bad attitudes, breaking free from unforgiveness, etc. It may not always make sense to the people around you, but giving up and surrendering yourself to Christ is the only path to complete freedom.
Q: What usually happens when you try to carry too many things at once? How might that negatively impact your athletic career? What about your walk with Jesus?
Q: Of the things mentioned in last paragraph of this section, which do you think might make it most difficult to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus? Why?
Q: Can you share a time when surrendering something to Jesus Christ gave you more freedom, peace, joy, etc.?
WRAP-UP
100% Self
Surrender Your Desire. God knows what is best for you. So often your personal desires go against His perfect plan. Giving Him your heart’s desires might be difficult at first, but He will always give you something much better in return:
Surrender Your Time. Our world is full of distractions. Some of those distractions are meaningless and have no eternal value. Other times we can get caught up in good things that aren’t necessarily part of God’s plan. When you give God more of your time, He will help you make better use of every moment, minute, hour and day:
Surrender Your Mind. So often our biggest battles are fought between our ears. Give God your thoughts. Allow Him to rule over your mind. Stay in the Bible (His Word) and you’ll see a big difference in your attitude and your emotional health:
As you surrender these areas of your life, you will be able to pick up your cross (the purpose and plan He has made just for you) and fully live out the truth in today’s theme verse:
OVERTIME:
Find a quiet place alone or with another person you can trust and discus what it looks like to surrender to God in every part of your life. Write the major areas of your life down (family, school, friends, sports, money, emotions, etc.) and make a list of those things you need to give up so you can refer back to it from time to time.