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Scripture for the day: John 14:10-11 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
Thought for the day: We’ve been talking a bit about obedience and where the strength comes from to be able to fulfill the command, “If you love Me you will obey my commands.” Jesus took great pains to let those who would hear know where His authority came from, who it was that was really in charge of the whole plan. He said in another place, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19). Every time someone pointed to Jesus, He pointed to the Father, knowing that was where the power to obey came from. And what do we call this power to perform? We call it faith, just as the Savior did.
The great writer to the Hebrews reminds us, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). I’ve read that and I believe it, but what does it really mean? I’ve read commentaries by some of the greatest minds in Church history and I believe they know what they’re talking about. But what does it mean in my life? How does it apply to the challenges I face today?
Somewhere in the hallowed halls of the Pentagon, a cadre of admirals, in conjunction with ranking members of other branches of service and, from time to time, members of allied nations, have come up with what they call “joint exercises.” They develop a plan to simulate some warfare situation, pass the idea along to subordinates who fill in the rough outline with particular assignments for each task force, squadron and individual ship engaged in the exercise. These orders are passed down the chain of command until, when the general quarters alarm sounds, each person on each ship runs to his or her station.
When one of those crew members was me, I knew only one thing; I had a particular battle station to which I was to move as quickly as possible. Every other crewman had theirs as well, from the captain on down to the lowliest of seamen. I had one job to do and was determined to do my part to the best of my ability. I didn’t know the overall plan or even how my ship fit into that plan; I knew only the part I was to play. Playing my part to the best of my ability meant I trusted that someone way above my pay grade had more information, a bigger part of the picture. In short, I had to have faith that my obedience in being where I was assigned and doing my part, fit into the larger plan and, as long as each of us did our best, the battle would be won.
Faith for obedience is much the same. I don’t see how some apparently meaningless task fits into God’s greater picture. I have to trust Him when He says it does. The more fully I am able to exercise that faith, the more useful I can be to Him. The more completely any of us surrenders to God’s plan for us, the easier it is for Him to work His power in our lives. Fulfillment of the command “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5), is dependent upon my willingness to trust God and believe that He is still working all things together for good. We are called to cling to the promise that says: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).
As the Rev. Andrew Murray said, “As His righteousness is our one hope, let His obedience be our one desire.”
Now go take on your world. - Bill