As we were riding down the road one day, Anna Jean and I were listening to the a cappella version of a worship song called “Gratitude.” If you have never heard the song before, one of the lines in the chorus that is repeated several times goes like this: “So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again because all that I have is a hallelujah.” This song reminds us that our words fall short in expressing our gratitude for all that God has done and continues to do for us every single day. All that I can offer Him in response is my praise and worship. As Anna was singing along, when it came to that line, she sang, “So I throw up my self and praise you again and again.” She didn’t get the lyrics exactly right, but what she said became a powerful lesson for me.
When we think about everything that God has done for us, it should not only cause us to throw up our hands in praise; it should cause us to throw up our selves. God is certainly worthy of our “hallelujahs,” but if we only offer Him worship and praise a few times per week, then we have not fully understood what it means to completely surrender to Him. When we truly see and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the blessings God has graciously poured out on us, the only proper response is to give Him every part of who we are and what we have. God is not content with a few hours per week. In whatever you find yourself doing, He wants you to use every hour of every week to serve Him.
This is the message we see throughout Scripture. According to Colossians 3:4, Christ should not just be a part of our lives. He should not even just be the top priority in our lives. Paul speaks of Christ who is our life. We serve a jealous God (Exodus 20:5). God is not content to share His people with anyone or anything. He wants us to be completely devoted to Him and accepts nothing less. We are to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:5). The message is not to give God bits and pieces, what is left over, or even the vast majority of our lives. We are to love Him with everything we have. If we love anyone more than we love Jesus, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:27). If we love anything more than we love Jesus, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:33). Just as a person cannot serve both God and money, a person cannot serve God and anything else at the same time (Matthew 6:24). To put it simply, if we are going to follow Jesus, we must surrender every part of ourselves to Him.
Oftentimes, we treat our lives and priorities like a chest of drawers. God gets the top drawer. Then my family and friends get the next drawer. Then my job gets the next. Then my hobbies get another. If I want God, I open His drawer. If I am with my family, I open that drawer. When I am working, I open that one. But this is not what a Christian’s life should look like. Instead of God being restricted to the top drawer, He should be present in every drawer. His grace, His Word, and His will should direct everything we do, everywhere we go. There should not be a part of our lives that remains untouched or unchanged by Him.
What part of your life are you refusing to surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ? What are you holding on to for yourself? What is it that you will not let go of? Let’s not just throw up our hands to God. Let’s throw up our entire selves. Let’s choose to surrender every part of who we are to Him.
-Tyler Alverson