| And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.; |
| —2 John 1:6a |
Not long ago, we celebrated Holy Week. I remembered a conversation I had on an airplane the week between Palm Sunday and Easter more than twenty-five years ago. It was an early morning Delta flight from Hartford to Atlanta. I sat quietly in my seat with my Bible open to the Psalms.
“Are you a Christian?” my seatmate asked?
“I am,” I replied.
“I’ve never understood what Christianity’s all about,” he continued. “What’s the main thing?”
As I pondered how to answer, I thought of a gospel song I had learned as a teen: “I Surrender All.” 1 I realized that this song describes what following Jesus is all about—surrendering my will to His will.
As this song played in my head, I had the privilege of very gently and tenderly sharing with my seatmate what following Christ meant to me. He asked a number of questions. I tried to carefully answer each one.
As we landed in Atlanta, he thanked me for sharing with him. Did he eventually become a Christian? I don’t know. But, I felt very honored and grateful that I had the opportunity to talk with him. I hope that I planted a seed in his heart and mind that God would water and bring to bud.
As we, each one, strive to remain faithful to the calling God has given us, may God grant each one of us a soul-enriching week, as we remember each day the sacrifice Christ made for us on the Cross.
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Here’s a video of one of my long-time favorite groups, Max Mace and The Heritage Singers, with their rendition of this song. 2 I hope you enjoy it.
| 1 The classic hymn “I Surrender All,” written by Judson W. Van DeVenter and composed by Winfield S. Weeden in 1896, is in the Public Domain. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of someone claiming Copyright protection of this material, please note that, in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder. |
| 2 The Heritage Singers’ version of “I Surrender All” is a performance of a hymn in the Public Domain, written in 1896 by Judson W. Van De Venter and Winfield S. Weeden. The specific 2002 audio recording by the Heritage Singers is copyrighted by Heritage Singers USA, Inc. (Gospel Heritage Foundation), P.O. Box 1358, Placerville, California, 95667, U.S.A. Please note that, in each case, whenever citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder. |
