Are You Surrendered To Jesus?
What It Means to Truly Follow Jesus
Jesus calls every disciple to surrender, not just a special class of Christians. Matthew 16 places that call beside Peter’s resistance to the cross. Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ and left everything to follow him, yet still pushed back when God’s plan conflicted with his own. Genuine love for Jesus can exist alongside areas that have not yet been yielded. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as following him.
Surrender requires sacrifice. Denying self means relinquishing the right to govern life independently of Christ. God is not a wingman who backs up whatever a person decides. He leads, and his followers follow. Taking up the cross means dying to an old way of living, not simply putting up with a difficult situation. A gospel that offers blessings without surrender misses the crux of the cross. Yet life with Jesus is not misery. Christ supplies true life and a hope that holds through difficulty.
Surrender also requires commitment. Jesus is not a close second; he is a far and away first place. Martha’s distraction shows that even good things can crowd out attention to him. Work, sports, and family have their place, but none can take his place. Prayer, Scripture, and church fellowship are not boxes on a religious checklist. They nurture a relationship with Jesus that no loss of position, possessions, or accomplishments can take away.
Finally, surrender requires obedience. Genuine love for Jesus produces a desire to obey, rather than an attempt to earn God’s love. Works are not the root of salvation but its fruit. Struggling against sin differs from making peace with it, and religious credentials cannot replace knowing Christ. God’s new covenant promise reaches beneath outward behavior: he writes his law on the heart. Christianity is not behavior modification. It is inward transformation that produces outward change.
Key Takeaways
1. Surrender Gives Christ The Right To Lead.
Denying self is not a blanket rejection of every ordinary pleasure. It means giving up the claim to run life independently while expecting God to back every decision. Following Jesus begins where personal preferences and opinions bow to his word.
2. Good Things Can Displace First Place.
Martha’s work was not an evil thing, but it distracted her from Jesus. Jobs, sports, and family can become the same kind of distraction when their demands always come first. Commitment to Christ requires more than giving him whatever time remains after everything else has been served.
3. Commitment Grows From Wanting To Know Christ.
Prayer, Bible reading, and church fellowship lose their purpose when reduced to a religious checklist. Their value lies in knowing Jesus, speaking with him, and growing alongside believers who encourage faithfulness. A relationship with him is worth committing to because it cannot be stripped away with a title, an achievement, or a job.
4. Struggling With Sin Is Not Surrendering To It.
A believer who grieves sin and seeks help is not in the same position as someone who has made peace with it. The desire to obey, even amid a real wrestle, reflects the Spirit’s conviction rather than a need to earn God’s love. Genuine surrender brings the guarded areas of life before Christ instead of declaring them off limits.
5. Changed Hearts Produce Changed Ways Of Living.
God’s new covenant promise goes deeper than cleaning up outward actions. He writes his law on the heart, creating a desire to obey that outward pressure alone cannot produce. Christian fruit grows from inward transformation, not from an attempt to build a saving record of good behavior.
Bible Study Guide
Bible Reading
Matthew 16:24
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Luke 10:38-42
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Observation questions
Before Jesus’ call to surrender in Matthew 16:24, how did Peter respond to Jesus’ coming suffering? How did that response contrast with Peter’s earlier confession and decision to follow Jesus?
What distinction is made between denying self and giving up ordinary pleasures? How is taking up a cross different from simply enduring a difficult situation?
In Luke 10:38–42, what was occupying Martha’s attention, and what was Mary doing? What did Jesus’ response identify as the lasting priority?
In connection with John 14:15, what is the difference between obeying to earn God’s love and obedience that grows out of love for Jesus?
Interpretation questions
How does Peter’s resistance help explain why Jesus’ call in Matthew 16:24 applies even to people who genuinely believe in him and have already sacrificed to follow him?
If denying self means giving Christ the right to lead, how would that affect a believer’s response when Scripture conflicts with a strongly held preference or opinion?
Martha was doing something good by preparing a meal. What does Jesus’ response reveal about when serving, working, or caring for others can become a distraction from him?
How can John 14:15 encourage a believer who wants to obey Jesus but continues to struggle with sin? What distinguishes that struggle from making peace with sin?
Application questions
Can you think of a recent decision where you wanted God to support your plans more than you wanted him to lead? What might surrender look like if you faced that decision again?
Taking up the cross means dying to an old way of living, not merely coping with hardship. What habit, response, or claim to control might Jesus be asking you to lay down? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing.
Which good responsibility or activity most often crowds out your attention to Jesus? What realistic change could help you give him first place without neglecting the people and responsibilities he has entrusted to you?
When do prayer, Scripture reading, or church fellowship begin to feel like boxes you must check? What could help one of those practices become a more meaningful way of knowing Jesus this week?
Is there an area where you have begun saying, “That’s just how I am,” rather than seeking God’s help to change? What would one honest step toward obedience look like, and who could support you without shaming you?
Where have you seen God change not just your actions but what you want? In an area where change is still difficult, what might it look like to ask him to work on your heart rather than simply trying harder to behave differently?
Devotional
Day 1: When God’s Plan Clashes with Your Expectations
Peter’s bold rebuke of Jesus reveals how quickly human logic resists divine purpose. Surrender begins when we release our version of how life "should" unfold. Like Peter, believers often stumble when God’s path involves suffering or sacrifice. True discipleship demands trusting Christ’s wisdom over our limited perspective. The cross-shaped life embraces mystery, not control.
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:21-23, NKJV)
Reflection: Where have you recently tried to “correct” God’s direction in your life? What makes His current path for you feel uncomfortable or illogical?
Day 2: Carrying the Cross Beyond Life’s Burdens
The cross Jesus commands isn’t hardship to endure but death to demand. First-century criminals carried execution tools, not symbols of minor irritations. Surrender means crucifying self-rule daily—not just enduring life’s troubles. This radical call dismantles the “God as wingman” mentality, placing Christ firmly in the driver’s seat. True discipleship requires abandoning the throne of personal sovereignty.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’”
(Matthew 16:24, NKJV)
Reflection: What area of your life still bears the label “My Way Only”? How would carrying Christ’s cross transform that space?
Day 3: Lukewarm Faith and the Cost of Halfhearted Surrender
Laodicea’s tepid water mirrors modern Christianity’s convenient compromises. Jesus rejects spiritual mediocrity that treats Him as an accessory rather than the center. Surrender requires burning commitment—the kind that reshapes schedules, priorities, and identities. Like athletes all-in for their sport, disciples must train relentlessly in kingdom living. Partial devotion produces useless faith.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16, NKJV)
Reflection: What practical commitment have you avoided making to Christ that others regularly make to lesser priorities?
Day 4: Distracted by Good Things from the One Necessary Thing
Martha’s busyness with secondary tasks exposes our addiction to visible productivity. Surrender means choosing presence over performance at Jesus’ feet. Even noble responsibilities become idols when they edge out communion with Christ. The “one thing” Mary chose—attentive devotion—anchors all other work in eternal purpose.
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38-42, NKJV)
Reflection: What “productive” distraction most often keeps you from sitting at Jesus’ feet? How might saying “no” to it deepen your “yes” to Him?
Day 5: Obedience as the Language of Love, Not Obligation
Surrender speaks through actions birthed from affection, not duty. Jesus ties commandment-keeping to heart connection, not rule-checking. Like a child eager to please a beloved parent, transformed disciples obey because they know the Father’s goodness. This love-fueled obedience outlasts fleeting emotions and cultural pressures.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15, NKJV)
Reflection: What commandment feels burdensome to obey? How might viewing it as love language to Jesus shift your perspective?
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