Surrendered Hearts

       This morning I was thinking about the 'great' men and women of the Bible, the people that God used to manifest His will and expose His glory to us. I thought about them and how many very religious people wouldn't consider them righteous. I pondered how Noah, who is said to be a drunk, was considered to be righteous by God? Or Moses who killed someone and ran away to hide becoming a Shepard, or David a murder, and adulterer, but still called a man after God's own heart. Or Gideon or Jonah, or the prophets? And I thought about the apostles, men considered lowly and unrighteous by others, I thought about them wondering what was it that pleased God so much about them? What was it that made them pleasing to Him despite what many would see as  their major character flaws?
       As I asked God these questions and prayed; only one answer resonated, their surrendered hearts, their willingness to do His will even in the face of death, even if it didn't make sense. Sure, some of them took convincing to obey, Gideon needed a sign and Jonah had to learn he couldn't hide from God, but they still served Him. They still surrendered to His will because their hearts were His to command, Jonah didn't agree with what God told him to do, but he feared the Lord after his experience in the belly of a fish and he obeyed submitting himself to God, and because he obeyed the city of Nineveh turned from their wickedness and was spared punishment.
       I think of all this and I ask myself, what could surrendered hearts do now? What kind of greatness can God and will God produce today in the surrendered hearts, in these final days what glory will God expose through these surrendered hearts? He is calling us, all of us to give up our will to His, He wants to use us to preform miracles, to give prophecies, to spread the gospel, heal the sick and touch others lives and souls for His glory and in His name! But it takes surrender, complete and total surrender. Jesus said that those who love their life will surely lose it but those who hate their life in this world and follow Him will have eternal life (John 12:25-26); we must surrender to Him daily if we really believe what we say we do, and when we do there is nothing that will stop God from manifesting Himself through you in the most amazing ways, you will see God's glory if you surrender and repent at throne.

Psalm 9:10
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Daniel 3:16-18        
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Matthew 16:24-27        
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.