Submission

The concept of submission has gotten a bad rap in our country. We bristle at the thought of having someone in authority over us. After all, we are Americans! No one has the right to tell us what to do! And if they try, we will bomb them into submission!

The problem with this is that whether we realize it or not, submission is something we do daily. From the time we get up in the morning until the time we go to bed, each decision we make is a form of submission. We usually have one of two things attempting to influence our choice – the still small voice that tells us to do the right thing or the raging inferno that screams at us to do what feels good and what caters to our selfish nature.

Think about it, you’re getting ready for work. You know that a group of your friends go out for lunch every Thursday. You have gone in the past, and it is a blast letting off a little steam with co-workers. You want to go today. But, you and your wife are trying to get a better grip on your finances and eating out less plays a HUGE part in that. You have leftover meatloaf in the frig that is supposed to be your lunch. What do you do?

This internal conflict is raging within your heart and mind. You have to make a decision. You really want to go out for lunch. After all, is $7 really going to make a big difference in your entire month’s budget? But, you really want to make better money decisions. And $7 may not seem like much, but it is a decision that impacts your financial state. Plus, you and your wife have vowed to work on this together. How will she react if you don’t take the meatloaf? How will your friends react if you don’t go?

In the end, whatever choice you make is form of submission. The question is whether you will submit to the wise choice or submit to the unwise choice. Unfortunately, our culture is filled with people who submit to the unwise choice. The results are everywhere – 50% of marriages in up in divorce, personal debt is out of control, and obesity is becoming one of our nation’s biggest problems.

Where is the answer? The answer is not found within us. We are the problem! We can no longer submit ourselves to the ebbs and flows of our selfish desires. Because in the end we may get what we want in the moment, but at what cost? Our very lives?

The answer is found in submitting ourselves to the one who truly has our best interest at heart. The one who makes the best decision each and every time. And that “one” is our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ. Proverbs 3 tells us to “lean no on your own understanding,” and that we are to “acknowledge God, and He will make your paths straight.”

So my friend, when you are faced with a tough call and you have to submit to one of the voices in your head. I encourage you to make the right call, and submit yourself to Jesus. He is the one who knows best.