I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

JOHN 17:4

There is a work God has for us to do but it will not be complete without the surrendering of our will. As Jesus Himself prayed, “your will be done”, so must we. The will must be willfully surrendered to God along with the death of self-interest.

Be careful of making promises in moments of euphoria that sound religious and righteous. As Bonhoeffer once said: “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Jesus beckons us to be His disciples and take up our own crosses (Luke 14:25-26). This means we literally have to die to self-will and interest each day. If we are not willing to yield our wills to Christ then we are not bearing our crosses nor are we becoming like Christ.

Jesus Christ died on a cross that was His to bear. He is not asking me to bear His cross but my own. Bearing my own cross isn’t like suffering from a headache or back pain or even tolerating an annoying person at work. Bearing my own cross means dying to everything that is opposed to God’s will being done in my life and through my life. It means surrendering all my wants for one single desire: that His will be done in me. Then we will be able to complete the work He has for us.