-Romans 6:13 (NLT)

The measure of true worship depends on how much are we willing to surrender.

To surrender is to yield or give up one’s self into the power of another. It is hardly accepted by people. It is tantamount to losing such as in battle, in a game or surrendering to an opponent. It is also associated to a captured criminal yielding to the authorities.

No one wants to be a loser. Nobody would like to yield to his opponent.

We were taught not to quit, never give up, and never give in – so the word “surrender” is unpopular. Every one wants to win while surrendering is absurd. Even today, not everyone even among “Christian nations” discover the truth that only in surrendering, we can experience worship. The true measure of surrender is obedience. Surrendered people are those who obey God even if it does not make sense.

Abraham was commanded to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Peter, after having a failed night of fishing, was commanded to let down the nets. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to worship God even with the mind set that even if God would not save them from the fiery furnace, they still chose God as their God.

Mary broke the alabaster jar and poured the perfume at Jesus’ feet. It was a very expensive perfume which could have been sold for a high price as suggested by one of Jesus’ disciples. But she chose to offer it to God.

Paul and Silas, after being severely beaten, offered a sacrifice of praise to God (acts 16:25). Jonah, after being in the belly of the big fish for three days, offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God (Jonah 2:9). They didn’t feel like praising God, but were willing to sacrifice. They offered the sacrifice of praise in difficult situations.

True worship is giving not receiving. Oftentimes, we want to receive. But it is hurting for many to give. True worship pleases God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Many Christians only want Jesus to be their Savior, not their Lord. They professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but their lives do not manifest that He is their Lord. When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not an oppressor but a saviour. He is not a dictator, but a friend.

“Lord, help me to understand the value of surrender. My life is not my own. I consecrate my life to you. I give my life as a pleasing sacrifice. “

And this ‘fraud’ has already crawled into the spiritual or religious life of many who look as if they do not to care if the one whom they are worshipping is the true God or a false one. They have become victims of the most dangerous and destructive fraud of all time by letting themselves just go with the flow without checking for their genuineness, not like when they purchase a laptop or other modern gadgets. They have been blind of what false Gods have been offering them.

For one’s religious worship to be genuine, he should simply worship the true God, which requires knowing first the true identity of the true and living God. Man cannot possibly worship God, and cannot be brought to salvation, if he does not know Him.  False Gods or idols made by men are certainly not the true God taught by the Bible and should never be recognized, much less, worshipped. People who seem to worship idols as their Gods seem to be silly because these highly-valued objects are in fact worthless.

But of course, it isn’t just enough to know who the true God is. It isn’t adequate that you know from your brothers the true God. You must accompany it by true worship. Man himself must be true and his worship must also be genuine because not all kinds of worship are acceptable to Him. There are various accounts in the Bible where people are worshipping him but do not amount to anything, although those people have exerted a lot of effort and invested a lot of money and time. They have even sacrificed for the sake of God, but to God’s wisdom, they mean nothing.

Indeed, it is always best to stand for truth and to turn back to what is false. We must always seek and obey what is true and factual because this will lead us to God and salvation. In this unkind world, there are incredibly many forms of fraud and it takes a lot of effort and serious true faith to know which ones are authentic and which ones are not. Truly, we must cling on to the truth so that when temptation comes, we wouldn’t be carried away. There is one true God and he deserves true worship from us.