Larry Richards - Surrender! The Life Changing Power of Doing God’s Will

THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF DOING GODS WILL

THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF
DOING GODS WILL

FR. LARRY RICHARDS

Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Huntington, IN 46750

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Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur:
Kevin C. Rhoades
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend May 25, 2011

The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are declarations that a work is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

Scripture excerpts marked NAB are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Psalms, copyright 1991, 1986, 1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, D.C. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Except where otherwise noted, Scripture citations are the authors paraphrase.

Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994 and 1997, United States Catholic Conference Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Copyright 2011 by Fr. Larry Richards. Published 2011.

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ISBN 978-1-59276-759-5 (Inventory No. T1078)

LCCN: 2011935624

Interior design by Sherri L. Hoffman
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P RINTED IN THE U NITED S TATES OF A MERICA

Surrender! Dont you just hate that word? I know that I do, especially when it is used to mean being conquered, defeated, or filled with despair. Relax. This is NOT what I mean when I use the word! In this book, surrender means abandoning our lives to the One who loves us and gave His life for us. I use this word as Jesus does. He says to us there is no greater love than this, to lay down ones life for His friends (see John 15:13). Jesus is our model for surrender. He gives everything to us, and so we respond in like manner. He starts it and we respond.

Once I was speaking to about 300 men at a church in Mobile, Alabama, at 6:30 in the morning. They had come to hear me speak on male spirituality. As I always do, I spoke about the need to surrender ourselves to God before we can do anything else. After my talk, I fielded questions, and one of the men asked, Father why dont we hear about the need of total surrender more often? It was one of the few times I did not really know how to answer. I said that I think most people are scared to death of the whole concept of surrender. They are afraid it will cost them everything to surrender.

And it will!

When we decide that we want to live life Gods way instead of our way, we are going to have to give up our way and trust that Gods way is better. I have often quoted my spiritual director, who has said to me repeatedly that the theme song of those in hell is, I did it my way. No intention to hurt Frank Sinatra fans, but this is so true! We so often think that we know best, and that if God and the world did things our way then everything would work out okay. Talk about a God complex!

We cannot even take our next breath without God saying that it is okay. We are very dependent people. It is that simple. God can take your breath away right now, and you are done. So we need to learn to trust Him. We need to know that He loves us and that He wants us to be happy more than we want to be happy.

Remember the question in the old Baltimore Catechism, Why did God make me? The answer is to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world, so we can be happy forever in heaven. God loves us more than we could ever begin to love ourselves. Do you believe that? Do you live that?

This is the purpose of this book: to give you the practical steps to daily surrender your life to God and His will. It is not about giving up your free will and becoming a cult member. It is about your putting your will freely under the will of your heavenly Father God. Jesus showed us how to do this. Throughout His life He said, The world must know that I love the Father and do everything to please Him (see John 14:31).

This surrender is not a passive giving up, like the surrender of Islam. The word Islam means surrender, but it is usually inactive if God wills it, so be it. We find the kind of surrender I am talking about in the example of Mary when she says, Let it be done to me Fiat! Hers was not a passive acceptance of whatever might happen. Marys fiat was an active desire to seek out and live Gods will. It was a complete willingness to do everything that God called her to do. This is what we must do, too. When Mary said Yes to Gods will, she brought salvation to the world. The same thing happens to us when we say Yes to His will. We become instruments of salvation for our families, the world, and ourselves.

To surrender is to love. This is not surrender of fear or of self-interest, but a response to a loving invitation in the journey to eternal life. It is the surrender that is life-giving. It is the ultimate surrender, and the only one that really matters. We are going to explore this loving surrender in our seeking to know and live Gods will.

When you surrender your will daily to the will of Our Father, then you will discover the joy of totally giving yourself to the One who has totally given Himself to you. You will enter into the relationship of trust and love with the God of the Universe. You dont have to be afraid; you just need to trust, for He promises that He will never leave you or forsake you. He promises that He will lead you and guild you. He promises that He will give you His peace.

Are you ready?

Get excited! God has great plans for you.

Lets start to surrender.

[God] chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself. (Ephesians 1:4, NAB)

God wants you in heaven. Isnt that a great thought? Gods will for you is not to go to purgatory. Gods will is not for you to go to hell. Gods will for you is to go to heaven. The ultimate will of God is for you and me to go to heaven and be with Him forever. God is not out to get us. He wants to love us forever and He wants us to live with Him and enjoy eternal life! This is what God desires. That is why He created you and me. Once we realize this is the ultimate will of God, everything flows from this reality.

We read in 2 Timothy 1:9, God has saved us and has called us to a holy life, not because of any merit of ours but according to His own design the Grace held out to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.