Surrendered moment

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We live for the moments ahead of us, but we’re often disappointed with the moments that trail behind. Even moments that thrilled us may feel a little empty, looking back. “He/she didn’t love me, after all…” Sometimes, the opposite is true. A little “nothing” moment, barely noticed, becomes a golden treasure. “Oh, the way you smiled just then… reminds me of Mama’s smile. I miss her!” And so we wish we could go back and tell our younger selves to treasure the times we had, and the people we loved, in the moments we were living at the time.

Jesus knows about living life to the fullest, and living in the moment, and He came so that you and I can, too.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 NKJV. Sounds wonderful! But honestly, most of us live day after day, knowing we haven’t arrived. Like the kid in the back seat, we’re asking every 10 miles… “are we there yet? How much longer?”

This blog is about the promise that God extends to each of us in every single moment of our lives: “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9. NIV 1984.

Experiencing God—His presence, friendship, and power—in the moment, and trusting Him to be your Help in every way—this is abundant living. We don’t have to wait to get to heaven to have this kind of life. Jesus wants us to have it right now.

In a lifetime of moments, how many will we open up to God?

Orientation

Are you new to the Surrendered Moment? This is the right place to start. See below for posts in chronological order, and also lists of posts by category.

For the latest posts, go to the Blog.

Chronological Order

Reading posts in chronological order is the best way to build an understanding of The Surrendered Moment.

Secret Treasure

A Challenge to “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do)?-PART 1

A Challenge to “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do)?-PART 2

Surrender and Temptation

What Did Jesus Do? “WDJD”-PART 1

What Did Jesus DO? “WDJD”-PART 2

Jesus on Earth: Perfect Knowledge or Perfect Submission?

God Forgets?

Why Does Jesus Have to Ask?

The Value of a Moment

God’s “Value Added” to Our Moments

Jesus Changed His Mind

Waiting For An Answer

The Lost Diamond

Lost TV Remotes

Defining Moment: Good Samaritan Freefall (Part 1)

Defining Moment: Good Samaritan Freefall (Part 2)

First Surrender: The Gospel, (“Good News”), About a Relationship with GOD, in Four Points

Second Surrender: Split-Second Surrender to the Holy Spirit

God Surprises

Heart of Stone…Heart of Flesh

Giving Jesus the Key

Our moments pass like sand through our fingers, and we find ourselves unsure of what we held, only dimly aware in retrospect that many grains escaped our notice on their way to becoming castles or tide-erased piles at our feet…

I took a picture at “Cadillac Ranch” in Amarillo, Texas, and superimposed the cars into a picture I took at “Woods Cove,” in Laguna Beach. The message is: time is passing, and many of the things that we devote our time to may not matter so much, in the end. And the small things, our forgotten moments, may be revealed in time to have much more meaning than we ever dreamed.

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April 16, 2018

Giving Jesus the Key

I recently lost one of the two keys to our Toyota mini-van, and the Lord didn’t reveal its location. I thought I could just go down to Home Depot and have another key made, but the associate there told me otherwise. He said that they have Toyota Blanks, but the key will only be able …

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April 6, 2018April 18, 2018

Heart of Stone… Heart of Flesh

A friend has been meditating over the space of a few years about the new heart that God has given us. He wishes to comprehend the victory that Jesus has given us over sin and death, and to apply the new creation heart to live victoriously and become an overcomer. This is a noble, but …

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March 25, 2018March 25, 2018

God Surprises

My wife, Wendy, says she doesn’t like surprises. It wasn’t always this way. When we were younger, I’d say, “Road…” and she’d say, “…Trip?” and then we’d be off on an adventure. We would jump into the car and go, just for the fun of being together in a new place. With every child we …

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About

God is the King whose kingdom we often neglect,

the Spirit whose power we often ignore,

and the Friend whose presence we often forget.

Jeff McSwain is an ordinary guy with good news for ordinary people: even neglectful, ignorant, forgetful people can experience God’s presence and be filled with God’s power for His glory, and for the advancement of His kingdom.

Jeff and his wife, Wendy, have practiced surrender to God here and there through the years. (Jesus is the only one Who surrenders constantly to the Father). They adopted three children in addition to their three biological children. Each adoption proved a greater challenge and test of faith than the one before, culminating in the adoption of Nick. God sent Nick—an angry, belligerent teenage orphan at the time—so that the whole family would learn to love God and others by accepting and loving Nick, (and the pains he brought), and sharing together in his suffering.

Their children now range in age from mid-teens to mid-twenties, and love the Lord.

Jeff has led Bible Studies and Sunday School classes for all ages. He wants to exhort all people everywhere toward these ends:

That, in our moments,

we would seek God’s presence and engage Him as our closest Friend,

we would depend on the Holy Spirit, and move in His power,

and we would remember and prioritize God’s Kingdom over our own, in reverence to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.