04/28/2025
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 meekness and humility above pride and strength. When it comes to real strength, He is looking for how it relates to our faith and spiritual character alone. If we want to have what is really valuable in life, and to live our lives abundantly, then we need to hand ourselves over to God. This is a humbling thing, but not a weak one. To yield ourselves totally to the Lord requires great strength of character and faith. It requires us to trust in Him completely and without question… it redefines meekness as men are inclined to think of it.
“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
There is a saying that we use often... "with reckless abandon." This saying means that we throw ourselves actively, and wholeheartedly, into something without thinking of our own wellbeing. But. 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 to fear Him to the point of obedience. Fear does not allow room for our thoughtful 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 scripture passages:
“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 understand the first verse, but have you thought deeply about the second one as it pertains to God loving us? Have you asked exactly what it is that Jesus is saying here. Well, here is a some help… you only need to read the very next verse to understand that we are to have a deep and abiding friendship with Jesus, and what this requires of us:
“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. We gather the importance and depth of friendship as far back as Proverbs. This book speaks much about friendship but do you remember this verse…
“A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 17:17 ESV
To be a 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 wasn't already doing, or that was contrary to His nature. The scripture we just read from John 15 uses two wonderful very specific words; and they are powerful. Jesus says "if ye" when He could have said "ye will", however by saying “if ye” He isn’t ordering us, He is giving us 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, take your property, 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 will be 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 a desire for worldly things. God offers us the opportunity to submit to Him out of love, and He gives us spiritual things and eternal life out of His love, and in exchange for our love. In our submission there is no room for fear... no reckless abandon... no enslavement; we make our choice to humble ourselves out of thoughtful love.
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 in this is the peace of God, everlasting life, and so many other blessings that I don't have time to write them, nor you to consider them this morning. Our humility is our strength because it isn't forced... no, it is a gift.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for loving me, giving me the choice of submitting myself to you, and for calling me your friend. Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross for me; because no greater love has one for another. Heavenly Father, I humble myself before you, and I submit myself to you without question or doubt. You are my God, my Father, 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 himself as being your creation. You are above all and yet you choose to love me... Father how can I not love you in the face of such a love as yours, and how can I not serve you in full knowledge of how Jesus served you for me on the cross? He told us in scripture that there was no greater love than to die for a friend, and Father I honor that love with my own life, by submitting it to you completely. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who has loved me from the foundation of the world. Holy are you who stoops low to gather me up in Christ and carry me home to eternity. This is mercy, this is grace, this is sacrifice, but most of all this is love. You are forgiving and good, and I will praise your name always. In all I do I will honor you, and give you the glory. Hear me now as I sing out “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! There is but one God, and He is my Friend and my Lord forevermore!” Hear me as I claim Amen to this my prayer…
Amen!
Rich Forbes