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Every morning when I drive to work, I need to enter a two-lane merge road before I can enter my working location. On one of the lanes on the right, there is a “Yield” sign for those who are coming from route 9. The lane then becomes in parallel with the lane I am entering. Oftentimes, I would run into someone who does not even bother to observe the “Yield” sign. He / she would continue to drive without stopping and watching if there is any car on the other lane would need to enter his / her lane. Worse yet, he / she would sometimes cross into my lane directly without looking. After a few times of these kinds of thrilling occurrences, I have to watch myself carefully in order to “yield” to “bold” drivers from the other supposed-to-be “yielded” lane. You can call this is my frequent practice of “defense driving”. 🙂

This gives me an idea to share with you my perspective of “Yield” action. In general, “to yield” is meant to give up or to surrender oneself to something. This something could be either superior power, or certain situations, or lust and temptation. The action of yield, from my view, could be taken willingly or unwillingly. In the traffic situation I just mentioned, we were required to follow the “yield” sign because it is a law and also is for safety. But one could ignore it completely or follow it either willingly or unwillingly.

How about Christian belief? Do we observe “Yield” sign in our journey of faith too?  Certainly! This action of yield is called “act of submission”.  We submit to God because He is (partial list only, not meant to be exhaustive):

• Abba
• Almighty God (’El Shaddai)
• Avenger
• Bridegroom
• Builder of All things
• Builder of Jerusalem
• Compassionate and Gracious God
• Creator of heaven and earth
• Deliverer
• Everlasting Father
• Faithful God, God of Truth
• Father in Heaven
• Father of the Fatherless/Orphans
• Forgiving God
• Glorious Father
• Glory/Strength of Israel
• God of All Comfort
• God of Love and Peace
• Great and Awesome God
• Healer
• Heavenly Father
• Help/Strength
• Hiding Place
• Holy
• Holy Father
• Holy One
• I AM WHO I AM
• Israel’s Creator
• Judge of All
• Just and Mighty One
• Keeper
• King of Glory
• King of kings
• LORD (Yahweh)
• Lord of Lords
• Loving God
• Maker of heaven and earth
• My Glory
• My God and my King
• My Song and my Strength
• Portion
• Potter
• Prince of Peace
• Redeemer, Kinsman-Redeemer
• Righteous One
• Rock of My Salvation
• Rock of Refuge
• Savior
• Shelter, Shield
• Shepherd
• Sovereign Lord
• Spring of Living Water, Fountain of Living Water
• Strong Fortress
• The Almighty (Shaddai)
• The Alpha and the Omega
• The LORD is Peace (Jehovah-Shalom)
• The LORD is There (Jehovah-Shammah)
• The LORD of Hosts (Jehovah-Sabaoth)
• The LORD is our Banner (Jehovah-Nissi)
• The LORD is our Righteousness (Jehovah-Tsidkenu)
• The LORD who sanctifies  (Jehovah-M’Kaddesh)
• The LORD will Provide (Jehovah-Jireh)
• The LORD is our Healer (Jehovah-Rapha)
• The LORD is My Shepherd (Jehovah Roi)
• Upright One
• Who Is and Who Was and Who Is to Come
• Wonderful

The act of submission (i.e. Yield) is in response to the realization of how great God is. C. S. Lewis once said, “If Christianity is untrue, then no honest man will want to believe it, however helpful it might be; if it is true, every honest man will want to believe it, even if it gives him no help at all.”

Because of His grace and unfailing love, we were saved and are called His children. With a thankful heart, we should be submitting to His command and guidance. In fact, our Lord Jesus set a perfect example of submission to God in Philippians 2:6-7

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 他本有神的形像，不以自己與神同等為強奪的‧反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形像，成為人的樣式”

Isn’t this an amazing example that the very nature God – Jesus Christ – was willingly to submit himself to God to give us our salvation? Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let us learn from our Lord. We should set our mind on submitting ourselves to God instead of yielding to our flesh as Apostle Paul told us,

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 體貼肉體的就是死．體貼聖靈的乃是生命”