Dear Gale,
Yes, if that is how Christ is leading you. He is our Lord and we follow Him. So, we should seek His leading in every area of our life.
Indeed, we should surrender all to Christ. However, giving up everything to Christ doesn't mean quitting your job and selling everything you own. This is a spiritual process that happens internally, and as God works in, around, and through you, He works it externally. In this way, your actions are a result of Christ working through you rather than you working through you. (Read John 15 for further understanding). This is important.
When we surrender everything to Jesus, it means that we surrender all. To follow Jesus entirely means that we do not follow anything or anyone else. Jesus said we cannot serve two masters. We must be completely devoted to Christ as our Lord and Savior. We do this as an act of love just as Jesus gave His life for us on the cross out of love.
Let us break down the above scripture for further understanding.
If anyone desires to come after Me
Jesus wants willing worshipers. He doesn't want anyone to follow Him out of force. This first portion is an invitation to His followers, those who desire to follow Him. The question is: Do you desire to follow Jesus? Do you wish to come after Him? If the answer is yes, then lets read on.
let him deny himself
We should deny ourselves, that is our fleshly desire for ourselves. This is speaking of our sinful nature. When we fell from God, our desire was set on other things. Our nature through out was corrupted. We should deny this nature and seek after Christ. Paul later speaks of this in the book of Romans (chap 7) as the flesh.
take up his cross
Our flesh needs to be crucified. The sinful nature within us needs to be crucified on the cross with Christ. Jesus died on the cross for sin. Likewise, we need to surrender our sin to Jesus so that He might crucify it on the cross. We should not struggle with sin. We should not try to be righteous by our own power or works. Instead, we should continually surrender to Christ who can defeat sin on the cross. In this way, we do not fight sin or struggle with sin.
and follow me.
This clearly indicates the acceptance of Christ as Lord. Follow Jesus. Do not seek our own way, but seek after Christ. Jesus can transform us and change us. He can continually make us new. Our focus and attention should be set on Christ so that He can work in us. By this, Jesus Christ has complete reign and control over us.
This is important. When Christ rules over us, then we produce fruit. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. This means we draw the source of our life, our being, and our existence from Him. When we do this, then we will produce good fruit.
Do not work for God, but let Christ work in, around, and through you. This means you surrender to Him so that He can control you. When Christ controls you, then you will naturally produce good fruit and do the will of God.
For whoever desires to save his life will loose it, but whoever looses his life for my sake will save it.
Are you willing to give up everything to the Lordship of Christ and follow Him at every turn? The key word here is willing. You must be ready and willing.
This means that we obey Christ completely and do as He lead us to do. For example, let's take your job. Let's say tomorrow morning you awake and give your job to Jesus. You say, "Dear Lord, I surrender this to you so that you might have complete reign and control over my life." Once you have given it up to God, then you do not worry about it. You simply live and obey.
After your prayer, you would then goto work as usual. You would not worry about your job. You would simply think about Jesus and let the Spirit control you. Now, if Jesus wants you to stay at that job, then He will use you there. If Jesus wants you to quit, He will tell you plainly and open a new opportunity. Either way, you have sacrificed your job to Christ and you are following Him. As such, you will have an internal peace knowing that you are sacrificed to Christ.
When the disciples left careers, relatives, family, hometowns, etc., they were called by Christ. Jesus had given them explicit instructions. Likewise, we should be ready and willing to follow Christ where ever He should lead us. This means, if Christ calls you tomorrow to leave everything and goto China, then be ready to obey. Otherwise, remain where you are knowing God has put you there and will keep you there.
I hope this helps,
In love,
Blake
