All for Jesus…

Today’s devotional builds a bit on yesterday’s thoughts. It begins with, “pure religion resides in the will alone” meaning that our will governs our nature and if the will is set right, all else will come into harmony. It goes on to explain that our emotions should not be allowed to govern our lives.

By this he means that as our will is not those sinful I-wants but our deciding power. I assume he means the deciding power of a will that is yielded to God and not the will yielded to the flesh. However, it seems to me that if my will can be in submission to God's will, then also can my intellect and my emotions. (See Nee’s diagram)

The Bible says of the human capacity called intellect:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

This is plain; don’t let my human thinking determine my actions unless that human thinking is totally submitted to the Lord. He will use my brain but my brain is not useful unless it is motivated by His Spirit. If I’m dismissing God's guidance and going with my way of doing things, then I’m not in God's will.

What then about emotions? Interesting that those who say facts must lead our faith always put emotions as the last item on the ‘train’ of how to live for God. They do not leave it off. I cannot either. Emotions are part of our lives, saved or not. I’ve known people who shut down negative emotions like raging anger only to find that they are not able to feel positive emotions like empathy and pity. What about God’s emotions? Cannot the Spirit convey to us the burdens He wants us to feel for others (so we will pray and/or act on their behalf)? Cannot He motivate my feelings about needy people that match His? I know He can; otherwise my fleshy emotions would not care at all about many things. He even says things like:

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26–27)

His Word does not forbid the emotion of anger but forbids me to allow it to motivate sin, a strong suggestion that it can motivate repentance or even action — quickly, before the sun goes down —  if it is yielded to God. I need to carefully consider how Jesus displayed anger and realize not all emotions are fleshy and sinful if they are governed by the Holy Spirit.

It is the same with my will vs. my I-wants. The Spirit of God can motivate me to want certain things. A simple illustration is the times I’ve been in Christian book stores without any particular book in mind, yet one catches my eye and the thought “buy this” comes to mind. I do and it turned out to be just what I needed to read at the time. Without that “I want this” thought, I would not have purchased that book, but God gave me the will to buy it.

Months ago, God spoke to me about organizing a family reunion. I resisted, had no desire to do that. His Spirit worked on my will so that I eventually said yes, but He also worked on my intellect and emotions so that I also heard His instructions on how to do it, but became excited about it. My flesh still resists and will whine about the work, but I know that God is still telling me to keep at it.

Being yielded to God is not confined to the will as the only motivating part of me. God uses emotions to move me to action. He also uses logical thinking to enable me to solve problems. The will is heavily involved in paying attention to His Spirit, yet He is able to get my attention in many ways and help me say yes to Him rather than resisting His voice or simply not listening at all.

PRAY: Jesus, each day brings varied challenges and varying emotions. If I listen to You and let You motivate my mind, emotions, and desires, then the day is so much different than when I make my own plans, or entertain my own feelings, or stick to whatever I want. You truly do bring “healing to my flesh and refreshment to my bones” for which I am joyfully grateful.

Ruling under Christ

 

The OT speaks of humanity being made a little lower than the angels and eventually being crowned with glory and honor and everything being put under their feet. The devotional today interprets this as the future of God’s people and that we will fulfill this prophecy, meaning we will rule the earth. This passage is repeated in Hebrews 2 and while it seems to refer to mankind, this is not how the NT writer interprets it:

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (Hebrews 2:5–8)

This quote refers back to the psalm that speaks of humanity as a collective individual, but the author of Hebrews applies it to Christ because He represents all of humanity in his life and in death, and makes those lines a reference to His incarnation and exaltation, much like this NT passage:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5–11)

In other words, the one who fulfills the OT prophecy is Jesus. We who are in Christ will reign with Him but He will have all things made subject to Him, including us who belong to Him.

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering . . . Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:9–16)

The destiny of all who believe in Jesus Christ is in Christ. Because of Him, we will be glorified, yet He is always our High Priest and our King. Looking forward to being a ruler in a kingdom could appeal to that sinful desire to be powerful and win everything. Instead, I’m content to look forward to everything being made subject to Jesus, including me!

PRAY: Jesus, I see Your loving hand even now in this chaotic world. You surprise me continually with blessings that did not occur to me to even ask for. As for ruling in Your kingdom, I’m quite delighted at the thought of You ruling all — and have no ambitions for that job!

PONDER: The OT says, “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’” (Daniel 7:27) This makes it clear that my glory will be established yet it will also be in subjection to and serve the Most High King — Jesus Christ.