Led by Jesus... like Jesus... to Jesus: 15

John 5:19-46
One of the hardest things to do is fully surrender to Christ. Our human nature doesn’t want to be dominated by anyone, and we want to be the master of our lives. Yet surrendering our will over to Jesus is the key to becoming more like him, and to discovering the abundant life that he promised.

In this passage, Jesus reveals his deity through a profound succession of statements:
• The Son sees the Father doing
• He does what the Father does
• The Father raises the dead and gives them life – the son also gives life
• The Father doesn’t judge – all judgment is given to the Son
• Honor the Son just as they honor the Father
• Whoever hears his word and believes has eternal life
• In the future, the dead will rise when they hear the voice of the Son
• The Son has life in himself, just like the Father does
• He has the authority to judge…

So while he reveals that he is God, at the same time he states that he is surrendered to the Father and orders his life and ministry around the directives of the Father:
“I can do nothing on my own… I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (v30).
“The works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness…” (v36).

Jesus, God in the flesh, humbled himself and set aside his will in order to fulfill the will of the Father. For me to be led more by Jesus, I will follow his example and seek to “do what the Father does” and pursue the “works the Father has given me to accomplish.”

Lord, may I fully surrender to your directives and follow your will for my life and ministry. May I have eyes to see what you are doing around me, and to know your agenda for my days. Amen.