Insolomonsporch's Blog

Day Forty Six

 God’s Desire for You:

Yield …

“Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness.  But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.”  Rom 6:13 Amp

          Every once in a while we get a clarifying glimpse of God’s true intention and the reality of His grace.  I had one of those moments recently.  I was studying and found that the word “surrender” as we know it is not used in the King James Concordance, nor in the King James Bible either.  Nor is it in the concordance of my Bible of choice – the Amplified Bible (although it does appear within Scriptures like Rom 6:16, but that is a poor use for the reasons below.)  Because the notion of “surrender” is very prominent in the teaching of Christianity, and many songs we sing, I was surprised and even curious.

          This is what I found. The closest rendering that you can find instead of “surrender” and the more correct use – is the word “yield.”  When you look up surrender on dictionary.com it uses “yield” in its definition, but the meaning implies that you are being delivered into the possession of another: say the police.  You are giving yourself up, or over to that entity.  You are in a sense giving up your will, but that is not at all what the Bible actually teaches us about our life in Christ.

          The dictionary definition of yielding also falls short of the true intention of God.  “Yield” in this instance refers to production: like that of produce (like fruit); or what is yielded like profit.  Lastly, it refers to giving up to a superior power.  Like you would put your will aside and accept the will of a superior power.  But as you will see, that does not express the grace, and will, and intention of God.

          Let us look at the rendering of “yield” in Strongs Concordance.  It is #3936, the word “paristani” in the Greek.  Here is the true meaning of yield.  When you yield yourself to God, He is not asking for you to abdicate yourself to Him.  He is not asking for you to hand over and resign your will to Him.  Rather He is asking that you “stand beside” Him.  As you yield yourself over to Him you are now willing to“exhibit” Him and His life in you.  You are willing to “proffer” yourself – put yourself before Him for acceptance.  He will “substantiate” His life in you.  He will be “at hand, ready to aid”, and “assist” you, as you willingly “bring your life before” Him.  He gives His life to live in you, as you are willingly yielded to Him.  Your life is not taken captive and strong-armed, as though you are incarcerated.  He is constantly waiting for us to yield more and more of ourselves so that we will have more and more of Him.

This is affirmed by the Scripture in Mt 11:29 where Jesus says to us, “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

          This is a dramatically different thing than what happens with the enemy.  Satan wants your mind to be passive – so he can invade you. He wants to take over your life (especially  your will) and use you, then cast you aside when he is done with you (even ending your life at that point).  

          I find this so compelling.  God did not create us, give us life and a personality and a soul to use us and then cast us aside.  He created us so that “in Him” we would become active, willing, participants.  In Him we would come to live and move and have our being.  In Is 1:18 He says, “Come now, and let us reason together ….”  He wants our active cooperation, our active will to come along side and to willingly stand beside Him, willingly understand Him and become subject to Him.  And that’s just the thing: our scrutiny of God and His character can stand the light of any examination.  There is no darkness in Him of any kind.

          Because of Him – I can rejoice!  He makes Himself known to us so that our trust in Him can become complete!  The God of the Universe – desires you to yield – to come along side Him, willingly, and live your life there!  With Him! In Him. 

“I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! (Ps 91:2)

Amen!