04/28/2017
We live in a culture that honors self-assuredness and strength in pursuit of fame and fortune over all else, but God, on the other hand, places humility above pride and strength. When it comes to strength, He is looking for strength as it relates to our faith and character alone.
“And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.”
Jeremiah 45:5 KJV
If we want life, and to live it abundantly, we need to hand our lives over to God. This is a humble thing, but not a weak one. To yield totally to the Lord requires great strength of character and faith. It requires us to trust in Him without question.
There is a saying that we use often... "with reckless abandon." This saying means that we throw ourselves actively, and whole heartedly, into something without thought. This isn't what God wants of us. He wants our thoughtful abandonment of self to Him.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
James 4:7-8, 10 KJV
Submission to God implies forethought. We are not robots or unthinking creatures. God desires us to lovingly submit to Him... not fear Him to the point of obedience. Fear does not allow room for submission. In fear there is only obedience, and only then because of the strength of something or someone being forced upon us. God is without doubt powerful, but He is also loving and good... His desire is to love us... and He does love us. Jesus told us as much in two of my favorite scriptures:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 KJV
And...
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:12-13 KJV
You probably get the first verse, but haven't thought of the second one as it pertains to God loving us, but that is exactly what Jesus is saying here. You only need to read the very next verse to understand our friendship with Jesus:
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
John 15:14 KJV
Jesus is saying that if we obey, act, and do as He does, then we are His friends, and by virtue of our friendship He loves us and has laid down His life for us.
To be His friend requires us to want to obey. To be His friend requires us to submit to His authority, and to be His friend requires that we would want to be like Him in our thoughts and actions. Jesus never asked us to be or do anything He already wasn't doing, or that was contrary to Him. This scripture uses two wonderful words; "if ye" and they are powerful. He could have said "ye will", but this isn't an order, it is a choice... an invitation... a thoughtful decision that we must make. Our submission must be voluntary!
Who do you submit to? Do you submit to our government because if you don't pay your taxes the IRS will ruin you and throw you in jail? Do you submit to your professor because if he fails you then you won't get your degree and the hope of a good career is gone? Do you submit to your boss because he will fire you if you don't? We submit to many things in our lives out of fear and the desire for worldly things. God offers us the opportunity to submit to Him out of love, and gives us spiritual things and eternal life out of His love, and in exchange for our love. No fear... no reckless abandon... no enslavement; we make the choice.
So as Christians we honor strength, but instead of the same strength of might that is honored in the world, we honor the strength of character and faith. We humble ourselves where the world frowns on that, and we love where those without God only lust. Our reward for this is the peace of God, everlasting life, and so many other blessings that I don't have time to write them. Our humility is our strength because it isn't forced... but made a gift.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for loving me, giving me the choice of submitting myself to you, and for calling me friend. Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross for me; no greater love has one for another. Heavenly Father, I humble myself before you, and I submit myself to you without question or denial. You are my God, my Father, and my Friend, and in you I am complete. I find you in everything I do, and in all that surrounds me; even Satan can't deny his creation. You are above all and yet you choose to love me... Father how could I not love you in the face of such love as yours, and how could I not serve you in full knowledge of how Jesus served me on the cross? He told us there was no greater love than to die for a friend, and Father I honor that love with my own, and in submitting to you completely.
Rich Forbes