Memorise: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. John 10:17
Read: Philippians 2:5-8 (KJV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Bible in one year:
2nd Samuel 21-22,
1st John 2:28-3:24,
Hymnal:
Sing hymn 12
Message:
Submission is a humble attitude wherein authority is duly recognized and obedience is willingly rendered without any resistance whatsoever. God commands submission to Himself, to civil authorities and to appoint leaders in His Church (James 4:7, 1st Peter 2:13, Hebrews 13:17). Submission is also commanded in relationship such as marriage (Colossians 3:18).
The crux of the message of our Lord Jesus Christ is submission to the will and purpose of God as revealed in His word. In Matthew 7:24-27, He said those who hear the word of God and submit to its authority in obedience can be likened to a wise person who built his or her house upon the rock, and the house survived a terrible storm. In contrast, He compared those who reject the authority of God’s word to a foolish person who built his or her house on sandy soil without strong foundations, and the house was destroyed by storm. Therefore, not being submissive to the word of God, which manifests itself as disobedience, is very costly indeed. I pray that you will receive the grace to submit totally to the will of God concerning your life today in Jesus’ Name.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect example of submission. Today’s Bible reading reveals the extent He went to in order to submit Himself to His Father. No wonder the Holy Spirit wants us to have the same mind that He had. In John 10:17, Jesus revealed that total submission is the secret of the Father’s love for Him. Hear what He said to the Father in Hebrews 10:7 when He was coming into the world:
“Then said I, Lo, come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”
Concerning the submission of the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 5:8 also says:
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;”
Jesus learnt to obey God’s instructions even when He knew it would yield personal loss and suffering for Him. Little wonder the Bible says He was obedient unto death. This obedience unto death was demonstrated in Matthew 26:39 when He was faced with the reality of death on the cross, and He made this agonizing prayer to God saying:
“….O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
For Jesus, obedience to God was His primary concern, and every other thing, including His personal interest, was secondary, May the Lord give His Church this same mind-set in Jesus’ Name.
Key Point
If you want to get the same results that Jesus got, be submissive to God like He was.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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