Verse of the Week -- John 5:30
Full surrender.
John 5:30 -- I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge ; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
We read through the gospels and marvel at God's power on display verse after verse. His love, miracles, authority, intentionality, compassion, humility, focus.
Aside from being fully God, the reason Christ could live this out in such clarity for us is because his fully human side had surrendered completely to God's plans.
He lived absorbed by the Father's will. He set aside any human agenda and resisted the temptation to seek worldly acclaim. His choices fell completely at God the Father's disposal.
Now and then I live that way, for a few minutes. I so quickly take command again.
When I relinquish full control His thoughts weave their way into my thinking. Verses pepper my day. Opportunities materialize. All that needs to get done in a day gets done.
That's how Christ lived each and every day. I would have stressed over all that I was choosing not to do by choosing to go to a certain town or talk with a certain person. Why spend an evening with just Nicodemus? Masses wait to hear!
Even Jesus just needed to accomplish the Father's will for that day, for that hour. All that was asked of him was what his human self could accomplish when fully surrendered.
Surrender can't be temporary, partial, or grudging. Just like I tell my kids -- true obedience is immediate, complete, and cheerful. Same with surrender to God.
Jesus didn't reclaim control. He went 40 days without food and still resisted the devil's temptations. He mourned the loss of a friend and cousin, John the Baptist, and continued to minister. With hunger gnawing at his stomach he found sustenance in sharing God's promise with the undesirable of the Samaritan town. He experienced the anguish of surrender in the garden of Gethsemane, and still followed.
Daily, fully, willingly. Complete surrender.
John 5:30 -- I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge ; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
We read through the gospels and marvel at God's power on display verse after verse. His love, miracles, authority, intentionality, compassion, humility, focus.
Aside from being fully God, the reason Christ could live this out in such clarity for us is because his fully human side had surrendered completely to God's plans.
He lived absorbed by the Father's will. He set aside any human agenda and resisted the temptation to seek worldly acclaim. His choices fell completely at God the Father's disposal.
Now and then I live that way, for a few minutes. I so quickly take command again.
When I relinquish full control His thoughts weave their way into my thinking. Verses pepper my day. Opportunities materialize. All that needs to get done in a day gets done.
That's how Christ lived each and every day. I would have stressed over all that I was choosing not to do by choosing to go to a certain town or talk with a certain person. Why spend an evening with just Nicodemus? Masses wait to hear!
Even Jesus just needed to accomplish the Father's will for that day, for that hour. All that was asked of him was what his human self could accomplish when fully surrendered.
Surrender can't be temporary, partial, or grudging. Just like I tell my kids -- true obedience is immediate, complete, and cheerful. Same with surrender to God.
Jesus didn't reclaim control. He went 40 days without food and still resisted the devil's temptations. He mourned the loss of a friend and cousin, John the Baptist, and continued to minister. With hunger gnawing at his stomach he found sustenance in sharing God's promise with the undesirable of the Samaritan town. He experienced the anguish of surrender in the garden of Gethsemane, and still followed.
Daily, fully, willingly. Complete surrender.
I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge ; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
~John 5:30~
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