Surrendering one's life and will to the Lord. Jesus is the model for us. He totally yielded himself and surrendered himself to do the full will of the Father. "I have come to do your will." "My food is to do the will of him who sent me." Like Jesus we are called to place every thought, desire, action, choice under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and under the control of the Holy Spirit. All that I am and all that I have belongs to the Lord to be directed and used as he chooses.

This choice to so surrender is contrary to my human instincts. The self seeks to be in total control. Was not this the first sin? God, the Creator, gave dominion over all creatures, except the tree of knowledge of Good and evil. Not to be able to eat of the fruit of that tree indicated that human beings were not in total control of everything, but that they were dependent on God. This dependence of relationship was symbolized in this prohibition and limitation. In identifying that God alone was fully God and human beings were not; that human beings were dependent and God was not--this need to accept this limitation was too much for human beings to accept. So the choice not to submit, not to surrender, not to yield to the plan of God led to the human rebellion against God which is called sin.