Sweet Surrender
- Joe Palmisano
- Jun 28
- 3 min read

Theme: Grace makes obedience possible.
As Dr. Filimao Chambo, one of our Nazarene Church’s General Superintendents, delivered God’s message this past Sunday, one sentence hit me more than any other. That sentence was, “Grace makes obedience possible.” It may seem simple, but if we let it sink into our souls, it encapsulates the Gospel of Jesus into four words, especially considering Dr. Chambo’s whole theme of work versus Grace. The gift of Grace takes us from the beginning of our relationship with our Father, through our departure from this earthly life, and into His eternal presence.
Everything from His Mercy from judgement for what I deserve, to Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, to my soul being ignited by His work and love, is all the gift of Grace.
I believe Dr. Chambo’s point was this: how can we live out Romans 6:11-13 without the Grace of God? It would be impossible with our effort alone. Most religions are based on work and effort, created and designed to earn our way to Heaven in the face of an unmerciful God. We are also encouraged from birth to please those around us, from parents to teachers to bosses. We learn that we must always work and earn approval/love. Therefore, we find it hard to accept they love, mercy, and grace that flows from our God through Jesus Christ, as it does not resemble anything we have known or experienced. If we allow ourselves to admit it, our ego is also involved, because it is nothing we can boast about.
Do you need a reason to know that the story of Jesus is real? Ponder the fact that, if a man or woman crafted His story to be believable, would they have written this one? When man tries to tell a tale of reaching God, it is about our heroic efforts to do it. The results are like Jason and the Argonauts, the Iliad, and the Odyssey. These stories bring glory to man, which pleases man. Only God could tell the actual story.
In closing, let me return to Dr. Chambo’s main point. From the beginning of creation, God’s motivation has been Love and Grace, Grace and Love.
To quote from a classic hymn, “Amazing Grace…that saved a wretch like me (no boasting here). I once was lost, but now I am found (He found me). Was blind, but now I see (through his eyes).”
To paraphrase Dr. Chambo, we can try to obey God’s Law and fail. We can brag about how far we may have climbed up the ladder before falling, as we compare ourselves to others doing the same. We can read the world’s books, study about self-improvement, and sweat and bleed our way to a god. Or we can surrender, sigh a deep sigh of relief, have peace for the first time, and accept the gift of our Father. That gift is His incomprehensible Love, wrapped in His Grace that gave us the Law, sent us His Son, the essence of Him, incarnated in human flesh, ignited our souls to this truth, and promises to sanctify and glorify us. Obedience is the fruit of this Grace, and Grace makes obedience possible. Thank you for these words, Dr. Chambo.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Prayer:
How hard it is to understand your love for me, Lord. How easy it is to believe that I have the ability, power, and strength to work my way to you, and how much I love to compare and boast about small gains, while ignoring and denying the great falls. How pitiful I am, Lord, without you, like the man in Dr. Chambo’s story, kicking the vending machine when my efforts to secure something fail. How do I thank you for your love and your grace? I am drawn back to John’s words, “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:” (1 John 2:5 NIV). And yet, even obeying you can only be carried out in your Grace. Is there anything I can do, Lord? I hear you saying, “Surrender.” Amen
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