SURRENDER

Commitment is commendable, but surrender is sublime 

To commit is to dedicate oneself to a cause, task, or event. Surrender is full and complete submission to authority. Though related, they are not the same thing.

Assuming that the cause, task, or event is righteous, it is commendable for a man to commit to it. In fact, that may be his primary motivation for having done so, to obtain human praise and approval. Recognition for meritorious service is a powerful motivator of virtuous conduct. It is a good thing. It is a human thing.

When a man commits to something righteous, he is free to decide how much of his time, talent, and treasure he is willing to dedicate to it. He is also free to commit to multiple things, distributing his resources among them in the manner he sees fit based upon what he decides to be most important.

Surrender is different. When a man submits to the authority of God, he is not seeking praise and approval from other men. In fact, he does it knowing that (depending upon his circumstances) the World may castigate him for it. Thus, it is not human commendation he seeks through surrender but rather to be in right relationship with the almighty.

Unlike commitment, surrender does not leave a man with dominion over his resources. Nor does it allow for multiple authorities. There is but one God, sovereign over all. To surrender oneself to any other name is not surrender at all.

To abandon oneself in this way requires the highest degree of moral and spiritual purity. It goes far beyond mere commitment.

Which is why commitment is commendable, but surrender is sublime.