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Spiritual Thought of the Day: Submission to God's Sovereign Will

The core foundation of Christian faith centers on the person and work of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone on which the church (the body of Christ) is built. All the beliefs, doctrines, and the church itself are anchored to His life, teachings, and identity as the Son of God (firmly rooted in Psalm 118:22).

Before the cornerstone is laid, however, the first layer of a believer's foundation is submission to God's sovereign will. God's will is God's Word. His will for His sons and daughters is for them to submit to His sovereign authority because His will deals with matters over which we have little or no control. His children function the best when they are consciously dependent on God — for who they are, what they think, say, and do. Their dependence on God shapes their attitude and daily lives as well as how they plan for the future.

Taking tomorrow for granted is an arrogant (independent) view of the future. None of us can guarantee tomorrow. I've been around a lot of semesters and know, regardless of whatever happens tomorrow, God will still be in charge. So, we plan with a sober understanding of the future. James 4:15 says, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." At 79 years of age, I likely don't have much time left. Many things we purchase have an expiration date. People generally don't know what their expiration date is. Life is short and passes by quickly.

Jesus said, don't worry or be anxious about tomorrow. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. God will take care of your tomorrow. Live one day at a time (see Matthew 6:34). Jesus did not prohibit planning for the future, but He did prohibit worrying about it. Worrying about tomorrow doesn't help either tomorrow or today. If anything, it robs us of our effectiveness today – which means we will be even less effective tomorrow if we remain in a state of anxiety and worry.

James 4:17 says, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. But those who are clothed in the righteousness of Christ practice the righteousness of His kingdom, turn away from the sins of the flesh, and live in a manner that glorifies God.

True faith is humble. Humility is the opposite of proud selfishness and self-centered ambition that characterizes this present age. Self-centered people are an enemy of God.

James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." Humility is key to having forgiveness from God as well as living in harmony with others.

God graciously draws near to us when we deal with sin in our lives that keeps Him at a distance from us. We submit to God's control by confessing our sins and asking for His cleansing. If we do this, God will draw near, cleanse us, and forgive us. When we know Jesus Christ as Savior and seek to know and do His will, life starts to make sense. The world around us takes on new meaning. Life begins to have simplicity and unity when fellow believers display poise and confident faith.

Since life passes so quickly, we cannot afford to spend hours doing meaningless things or waste our lives focusing on worthless activities. We are called by God to invest our lives in things that are eternal. When we yield to his will and use what He gives us to serve Him, those things become treasures. Enjoying what God has given us (1 Timothy 6:17) differs greatly from living in selfish extravagance. There are too many needs waiting to be met to waste time.

Spiritual life has seasons. There will be a harvest of seeds we have sown. However, we must be patient as we wait in expectant anticipation of the harvest season.

The weather reminds us about how little control we have. Because of advanced weather tracking, we can prepare for some weather events like storms, massive snowfall, tornados, and hurricanes, but we can't change them without God, or prayer. Powerful wind and waves can make toothpicks out of architectural masterpieces. Other events can take us completely by surprise, such as a bad medical diagnosis, family breakups, or an earthquake that totally disrupts our lives. No matter how much we prepare for storms, heed warnings, or retreat from natural disasters, unexpected events remind us how fragile human life is and how much we depend on God.

At times, our finances can feel like a natural disaster also. Some aspects of money management and discretionary spending are within control, while other events, such as job loss, crippling medical bills, or a market crash are completely out of our hands. But the more we practice good stewardship, the more aware we are about matters beyond our ability to prepare for or predict. The best budget doesn't guarantee financial security. But ignoring God's sovereignty can make them even more devastating. Conversely, acknowledging God's sovereignty doesn't prevent hardships from happening, but it does give us Someone to turn to when trouble comes.

Heart-rending medical reports, devastating tragedies, from car accidents to job losses, to abuse and abandonment, are events over which we have little, or zero control. God's will is that we submit to Him in matters that we cannot control.

How do I put submission into action? When difficult times come, submission causes us to say, "Lord, I trust You, no matter what! You are good. You are faithful and true. Even if I can't see Your goodness right now, I'll wait for You to show me."

The waiting can take a while because God is not on our timetable. Difficult times can be difficult sometimes, but God is faithful. We can trust in God's sovereign will.

Jesus taught His disciples that God – the great "I AM" – was their heavenly Father. John 17:6-19 records Jesus' prayer for His disciples, and in verse 17 He asks the Father to "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth... for their sakes I sanctified Myself, that they may also be sanctified by the truth."

God's truth has been given to us in three "editions" – His Word is truth, His Son is truth (John 14:6), and His Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6). We need all three if we are to experience true sanctification – a sanctification that touches every part of our inner being. With the mind, we learn God's truth through the Word. With the heart, we love God's truth and live God's truth day by day. It takes all three for a balanced experience of sanctification.

In verses 20 through 26, Jesus prays for all believers who are alive today as well as for the whole church throughout all ages. But now the burden of His prayer is for unity. He wants people to experience a spiritual unity that is like the oneness of the Father and the Son. Christians may belong to different fellowships, but they all belong to the Lord and each other.

One of the things that most impresses the world is the way Christians love one another and live in harmony. It is this witness that our Lord wants the world to see so the world may believe that He was sent by His Father (verse 21).

The lost world cannot see God, but they can see Christians and what they see in us is what they can believe about God. If they see love and unity, they will have a better opportunity to believe that God is love. If they see hatred and division, they will reject the message of the gospel.

Believers know God's name (and nature) and even share the same divine nature. Jesus makes it clear that truth and love go together (see Ephesians 4:15). Truth without love can be brutal. Love without truth is hypocritical. The mind grows by taking in the truth, but the heart grows by giving out love.