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Words of Hope Daily Devotional

The Words of Hope Devotional is a non-profit, donor-supported publication whose goal is to encourage readers to grow in faith through the practice of daily Bible reading and prayer. The devotional is available in your email and in print.

Thy Will Be Done

Read: John 6:35-40

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (v. 38)

As every parent soon learns, children develop a will of their own. It happens early, often during a time we sometimes call “the terrible twos.”

An essential part of our surrender to God is the surrender of our will. The best example of this is Jesus. He came not to seek or do his own will but the will of his father. This is precisely what our attitude must be: to do not our will but God’s.

We cannot be God’s children if we don’t submit to his will. Only when we submit to his will can we gladly and fully accomplish it. The Lord’s Prayer includes the petition “Your will be done” (Matt. 6:10). This is a statement of surrender: to do his will even if it “interferes” with our own will (and to do so without stubbornly dragging our feet).

But in order to say “Yes” to God’s will, we must know what his will for our lives is. We do this by studying his Word and listening to his voice. Romans 12:2 encourages us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, “that by testing [we] may discern what is the will of God.”

As we surrender our will to him, we can grow in understanding his will. Then we may obediently follow and fulfill it.

As you pray, ask God to do his will in your life.

About the Author

Jessica Heikoop was a writer and editor from Ontario, Canada. Beloved by her family and community, she died in 2013 at the age of 31.

Surrender Possessions

Read: Mark 10:17-31 He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (v. 22) The rich young ruler was a man who wanted to follow Christ but wasn’t willing to surrender his possessions in order to do so. In the end,

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Surrender Your Fears

Read: Luke 12:22-34 Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (v. 25) Many of us would have to confess that we aren’t anxious about anything except our worries. As Oscar Wilde quipped,

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How to Surrender

Read: Philippians 4:4-9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (v. 9) It’s all well and good to sing “I surrender all.”

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I Surrender All

Read: Romans 12:1-2 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. (v. 1) The congregation was enthusiastically singing I Surrender All. Then our pastor observed that if we were being honest, most of us would have to change the words a bit

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Why Surrender to Christ?

Read: Luke 14:25-33 Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (v. 33) “He’s a Christian, but not too Christian.” It’s said as a compliment, but is it really complimentary? It isn’t possible

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What Is Surrender?

Read: Luke 9:23-26 Let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (v. 23) How do you react when you hear the word surrender? Surrender comes with some negative associations. Picture white flags being run up and

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