SURRENDER

Devotional: “Living a Life of Surrender”
Pastor Calvin Cook -June 11,2025
Scripture: Romans 12:9–13 (ESV) “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

I recently had someone ask what full surrender to the Holy Spirit might be like?

In Praying yesterday morning with Gail. I cannot remember the exact words, but Gail prayed that everything that needs corrected – be corrected so that all we do is for God’s glory. The words of that prayer stuck with me through the day. Reminding me that when the Holy Spirit intercedes, we can not experience what God wants to do until we surrender to that will of God. I experienced that in several ways yesterday.

To surrender fully to the Holy Spirit is to yield every part of our being to the work, prompting, and power of God in us. In Romans 12:9–13, Paul paints a vivid picture of what a Spirit-led life looks like. It’s not about passively believing; it’s about actively living a love-soaked, hope-driven, mission of God-centered life.

In a world that encourages self centeredness, guarded hearts, skepticism of God moving and selective compassion, Paul’s words feel radical—even countercultural. Today, many people love with conditions. They show honor when it benefits them. Patience is short, and prayer is often a last resort rather than a first instinct. But a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit turns all that upside down.

Now how will we allow these words of Paul to the Romans change us 2000 years later.

Here is what I’m feeling:
Let love be genuine, sincere, Spirit-born.

Have Holy fellowship? Put down the screens, and show intentional personal face to face relationships.

Outdo one another in showing honor – in a time when tearing others down builds online influence, we’re called to be people who build up, especially in the quiet, unseen moments.

Be Spirit led not pushed. When running like crazy with no God purpose involved and burnout are the norm, pray for the Spirit to fills us with passion to serve beyond our self imposed limits.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer – in a culture of instant gratification, surrender means trusting God’s timing and leaning into prayer when everything else feels uncertain.

Today, consider what areas of your life you’ve kept off-limits to the Holy Spirit. Are you holding back your love? Your time? Your willingness to serve? Your trust during trials?

Full surrender will come through emotion—it will come through daily obedience. Through constant prayer. Through a Spirit-fueled desire to live differently.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into this Romans 12 lifestyle. Let Him light a fire in your soul that the world didn’t give and cannot put out.

Prayer : Holy Spirit, I surrender. I give You my comfort zones, my preferences, my fears, and my desires. Teach me to love genuinely, to serve passionately, and to live patiently. Fill me with zeal again. Make me a person who reflects the heart of Jesus in all things. I am Yours—completely. Amen