I Surrender All (All to Jesus I Surrender) by Judson Van de Venter, 1896.

Verse 1

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Refrain:
I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

Observe: This classic hymn speaks of surrendering all, freely giving to Jesus’ all.’ Think about your ‘all.’ Is it money? Is it time? Is it the praise of the world? What is your all?

There was a man who came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus told him, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He asked Jesus to be specific, so Jesus gave him six of the ten commandments of Moses.

The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:16, 20–22, ESV).

The point here is not that we have to give up all our possessions. Jesus knew that, for that man, his wealth was his most important possession. Jesus tells another story about the danger of trying to cling to what is most important to us.

Jesus told of a man whose land produced a great bounty. Pleased with himself, he decided to build bigger barns to hold his wealth. So, he said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:19–21).

Jesus doesn’t need our money; he wants our hearts. When we give him our heart, he gives us a treasure that can’t be purchased by all the wealth in the world. “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (John 6:27)

Verse 2

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine. [Refrain]

What greater gift can there be than the Spirit of God within us? Every Christian wants assurance, and the Holy Spirit is our “paraclete,” a Greek word that means to “come alongside.” He is a comfort to feel and a seal that protects us until we are fully glorified. With the Spirit, we cry with joy, “Abba, Father, truly know that you are mine,” because we are no longer slaves, but heirs to all God’s eternal treasures.  

Verse 3

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me. [Refrain]

As we wait for our final inheritance, God continues to shower his people with special blessings. But understand, blessings are not only the good but also the trials, because it is a blessing to be refined by God as he prepares us for the joy to come.

So, count your blessings today, even those that, on the surface, seem to be difficulties. Peter writes, rejoice, though now for a little while, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7).

We glorify Christ even in our trials because they are “for a little while.” Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to obtain that which he can never lose.” All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.

Blessings, Pastor Don.