You can’t expect full-time growth, if you're a part-time follower of Christ. What it means to give our all, to God.

If it seems like your spiritual growth has slowed down or even stopped as of late, there’s a chance you have not fully committed yourself to God. When was the last time you talked to Him in prayer or even gave Him a second thought? Are there areas of your life, you have held back from God, not fully wanting to examine or give your all to Christ? I'm not talking about work based salvation here. We can never earn our way to heaven by good works. We never have to earn God's love. He already loves us and accepts us as we are. It is God who does the saving and keeps us saved by His grace; not the other way around. He keeps His promise of eternal life, when we invite Him into our hearts and lives, as Savior. Salvation is a free gift from God. You cannot earn a gift that is given freely. You have only to believe and receive God's free gift of salvation.

Examining your life and identifying areas for growth, allows you to become more self-aware, acknowledging both your strengths and areas where you need to lean on Christ...you are seeking to become more like Christ, embracing His values and example, which deepens your relationship with Him.

As you seek to follow Christ's teachings and become more Christlike, you build a deeper covenant relationship with Him, trusting in his love and guidance. Seeking improvement, signifies your desire to live a life that honors Christ and aligns with His teachings and plans for your life.

Jesus demonstrated the true meaning of love, from the cross. He showed true humility. He totally surrendered his own life, on our behalf, though He was totally innocent of any wrongdoings. He fully committed to pay our sin debt, which He did not owe, with His own innocent blood. And then some still find fault with Him. Unbelievable, how ungrateful and disrespectful, some are. We are definitely unworthy of His love and sacrifice.

Had it not been for Jesus, every one of us would have gone to hell...not knowing how in the world, to erase our own sins....an impossibility in the spiritual world, since the forgiveness of sins, calls for a pure, sinless sacrifice. We owe Jesus our very lives. Instead of allowing us to die in our sins, He willingly took upon Himself, the sins of everyone in this world, paying for them with His own precious, innocent blood. We can't even begin to understand how much He suffered, when He took the full wrath of God for sin, upon His own body.

A man can be a long-time believer in Jesus Christ, regularly attend a faithful, Bible-preaching church, and even serve in a volunteer ministry role. But if he has yet to surrender every part of his life to the Almighty, then his walk with Jesus will feel weak and he may find himself slipping back into old sins and ways of life. The key to salvation is total commitment from your heart. God doesn't want half your heart, anymore than you want a half-committed relationship with your spouse or best friend.

On July 23rd, 1973, I gladly surrendered my life to Jesus. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to, out of my great love for Him and what He did for me on the cross. He paid for my sins in full, by His precious blood, and saved my soul. He taught me what real love and commitment looks like, as stated in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13 verses 4 - 7:

[b]"True love is patient and kind, doesn't envy nor boast, is not proud or rude, it's not selfish, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, and seeks and rejoices in the truth."

It's all too easy at times, for us to simply give lip service to God and tell Him we love him... however, our hearts may be far from Him and too many times our so-called devotion, stops right there. That's not love. Where there's no real commitment, respect, or trust, there's no relationship...even if we claim we love Him .

If you had a fiancé that you love dearly, you would want to give your full love and devotion to this person, because of your deep love for him or her. You certainly wouldn't give only half your heart. You would be totally committed, wanting to give this person your all, and it would feel effortless because of your great love for him or her. You would also trust that your love would be reciprocated. If not, that relationship could not grow nor thrive.

You know, Jesus never walks away from us. It's always us that strays further away from Him, until reality sets in and our weakened spirit feels so lonely and dry, we quickly come running back to Jesus, and He gladly forgives us and welcomes us back into His arms once again.

If you love Jesus for who He is and what He has done for you on the cross, you will automatically want to show Him your love and dedication by totally committing your heart, mind, life, and soul to Him. If you truly love Him, you wouldn't dare think of giving your Savior only half your heart, given He gave His ultimate best for you.

Jesus not only said He loves us, He proved it on the cross, when He layed down His very life for us, just so we could be forgiven our sins and have eternal life in heaven with Him. Since He gave His ultimate best and loved me so much, I always have to confess..."How could I give Him less than my best?!!" His love for us was, and is, a true sacrificial, unselfish, unconditional, eternal love. He certainly wasn't thinking of Himself, as the soldiers nailed His hands and feet to the cross. It was you and I, who were solely on His mind, during the whole 6 hours He suffered so horribly, then died.

If you love Jesus, you will love His will to be accomplished in your life. No one knows you, like God does, and no one is qualified nor wise enough to help you fill that void in your life, but Jesus. There are no substitutions for Jesus and that is why our soul longs for Him and His wisdom. We can always count on Jesus to give us His best. He is more than happy to help you and forgive you. Always happy to help you restore fellowship with your Father in heaven. Salvation is a beautiful way of life; not a forced part-time commitment. It is when you willfully and joyfully wish to surrender your love, heart, and life to Jesus each day, that you can truthfully proclaim you have surrendered your all to Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

This verse emphasizes the need to trust God entirely, instead of half-heartedly questioning His willingness to help us...and acknowledge His wisdom above our own. When we do this, the Lord will guide the believer along life’s paths, despite difficulties and hindrances. It’s simply wise to commit to God, who knows every single nuance of the course that our lives are going to take. After all, He always has our best interest at heart. He is trustworthy.

How do we actually surrender our all to Christ?

1. The first step is to pray. It is simply a matter of wanting to follow Jesus and love Him with all your heart, because of who He is and what He did for you on the cross, paying for your sins. Anyone who wants to have their sins forgiven, can always come to Jesus and He promises to save them. He turns no one away.

2. Invite Jesus into your heart and life as your personal Savior. Ask Him to forgive your sins. He promises to do that, so you can absolutely trust Him to do as He promised. He never breaks a promise.

3. Having asked him to forgive you of your sins, He will erase your sins and remember them no more, found in Hebrews 8:12. He will then send His Holy Spirit to live in your heart, as a Guide and Helper through life. The Holy Spirit is there to live permanently in your heart and life, and He will never leave you. That is another promise of God. He will never abandon you. The Holy Spirit represents a Holy Seal from God, placed in your heart and life, forever. God's Spirit has joined with your spirit, and cleansed it from all sins. The joining of God's Spirit with yours, cannot be broken. You are God's child... a permanent part of His spiritual family and He loves you more than words could ever say. You have started a brand new life in Christ and when the time comes, you will join Him in heaven forever. That is really exciting. Nothing short of a miracle!

4. Instead of relying on our limited understanding, we must trust the Holy Spirit's perfect wisdom and guidance. As we abide in Him and He in us, we open ourselves up to His divine plans, which are always for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

5. Next, we align our desires with God’s will. How do we accomplish this? By reading and knowing God's Word... seeking His kingdom above all else (Matthew 6:33). God did not leave us to guess what His will is. He tells us exactly what His will is, in His Word. We have the Ten Commandments and we also have instructions from God for a successful and blessed life, in the Book of Proverbs. We’re often driven by ambition and worldly success, but true fulfillment comes from pursuing God’s purposes. He will never lead us astray.

6. Submit to the Lord by reading His wise instructions in His Word. Obedience to God is not about legalism, good works, or duty. It is about our relationship with our Heavenly Father, through His Son, Jesus. In other words, it’s not something we begrudgingly do, but rather because we love and trust God as our Heavenly Father, to give the best wisdom to us, His children.

Jesus always loves and forgives. He is love personified. When the Bible says to fear God, it's never talking about being afraid of Him. It means to show Him due respect and reverence, for who He is and what He has done for us. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). When we respect God, we demonstrate our love for Him, and experience the freedom that comes from living in accordance with His truths.

Trusting in God’s timing can often be tough, as it requires daily patience and faith, but it’s a necessary step toward surrendering to Him. We may not always understand why life unfolds the way it does, but we can trust that God’s timing is perfect. If there were no challenges in life, we would never learn from our mistakes, nor grow in Christ. Life's challenges are never there to hurt us, but rather to get us back on track with God if we have strayed. Also, to let us know if something needs changing in our lives, that shouldn't really be there. The closer we stay to God, the better off we are.

When we surrender to His timing, we find peace and assurance in His sovereign plan. He never promised an easy life, but the Lord Himself will strengthen us and guide us through all our struggles.

When our desires align with Him and focus on Him, we find great joy and contentment beyond measure. David wrote in Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.”