Practical Submission
How easily do you release your will?
Verse of the Day
‘I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.’
Today’s Devotional
Today’s verse was spoken by Jesus. He says that He can do nothing on His own, and that He is submitted to God’s will, not His own. Do you recognize that this means that Jesus (the man) had a human will? He likely did not desire to live the life He led on this earth, but in submission, He did. Because underneath His submission to the Father’s will was love.
When you are with small children, you will likely submit to their will to eat at places that are not your favorite because it makes them happy. (And sometimes it’s just easier, right?) When you have a new friend, you will likely ask what their opinions and preferences are and defer to them, so that this new relationship has a chance to grow. When do those small acts of submission start to become difficult?
If people will know that I am a Christian by my love (John 13:35), then how can I love anyone well if I hold on tightly to my wants, my opinions, my preferences, my comforts, my demands, my needs?
I don’t need to hold these things tightly if I am in submission to God, because I will trust Him to take care of me. I learn to trust God with meeting my needs when I remember and focus on how much God loves me. “We love each other because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:19)
When I am struggling to release my will in favor of submitting to anyone else, it all goes back to whether or not I believe that God really loves me and whether or not I really do trust Him. This is not a blanket statement that applies to everyone. But it definitely applies to me.
Over the last few weeks, I have been wrestling with God about some things. And it all hinges on my belief in God’s love for me and my trust that He is working for my good. At the beginning of this “battle”, something happened that really hurt me. And even though I really wanted to handle it (my way), I felt like God was inviting me to trust Him and lean on Him instead of taking any action. I had a choice of whether or not to submit to God’s invitation or to follow my own will. This time, I chose to do it God’s way, and it was VERY uncomfortable. Until it wasn’t. Until I saw the reasons for why He asked me to submit to Him. Until I saw the beauty of His plan. Until He revealed that there were some things in me that needed to be revealed so that I could give them to Him.
As I’ve been reading and studying submission, I have asked God to show me when and where my will is rearing its ugly head. Wouldn’t you know that I now see my will trying to take over many times every single day? In those moments, the only thing I know to do is to pray for God’s help to choose to submit to Him, and for Him to show me how to submit to others.
As I see other people living in submission, I’ve noticed something. Submission looks a lot like love.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Where and how are you living by your own will? (If you don’t know, ask God to show you.)
How does Jesus’s submission to the Father benefit you?
How has the submission of someone in your life helped you?
Do you truly believe that God loves you? What is your evidence?
How can you show God that you trust him enough to submit your will to Him?