Scripture
Our verse for today comes from John 5:19, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’”
Background
I have a role and a certain amount of responsibility at work. My position, such that it is, allows me to do certain things, while at the same time it limits my ability to have complete freedom to do anything I choose. At home, I am much more autonomous. My role as the father and husband also carries with it a responsibility, but there are no managers or supervisors determining my areas of influence or what I can and cannot do. From before time began, God the Father and Jesus fellowshipped with the Holy Spirit in a relationship that exceeds human expression.
But one day, Jesus left His place and entered the created world to walk among His subjects. He remained God, and in complete fellowship with the Father and the Spirit, yet He took on a new role with new responsibilities. Experiencing the frustration, exhaustion, confusion, disillusion, anger, arrogance, coercion, helplessness, hopelessness and all else that a person could bring to Him, He might have wanted to play God with their emotions and circumstances. Yet, Jesus was limited. He was not free to prove every doubter wrong. He could not convince every skeptic that He was THE God, and not just a man with some unique abilities and notions about life.
Application
People can become rather uncomfortable when choice and free will are mentioned, especially if one is proposing the lack of choice or free will that man has. But if Jesus so willingly laid down every right He had to do whatever He wanted, and instead did nothing of His own accord, deferring all to His heavenly Father, why are we so uncomfortable doing the same? Am I not a better employee turning everything over to God? Do I not lead my family and love my wife better when I give of myself as Christ gave Himself for the church? Choosing may seem enticing, and our culture would have you get your way seemingly at any cost. But complete freedom comes when we allow God to be God, with a capital “G.” If you’ll make that one choice, then He will take care of the rest.
Charge
As we seek Him today, decide to let God decide, and then come to Him for everything.
