Confidence-Submission-Obedience
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20
…for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”… “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:5, 8
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16-18
While pondering the great commission and the responsibility of the authority handed down to us as joint heirs with Jesus in Matthew 28, three words come to mind… confidence, submission, and obedience. I must ask myself a few questions. Maybe you could ask yourself these questions, too. Do I have full confidence in The One who has full authority over me? Am I willing to submit fully to the Holy Spirit for God’s power to be working through my life? Will I be open and obedient to His leading and guiding?
As I ask myself these questions, I can’t help but be reminded again of Peter walking on water as He asked Jesus … “Bid me come.” I believe Peter could answer these 3 questions with a resounding Yes!!! He desired to obey and believe. He wanted to be confident in Jesus and He was ready to submit fully to Jesus, but the pesky wind and waves got in the way.
It’s always the wind and waves that get in the way.
If it weren’t for the wind and the waves, it would be so easy to be confident, submissive, and obedient. Sometimes we don’t even need to see wind and waves. We are just reminded of the past wind and waves or the possibility of future wind and waves and fear creeps in.
It’s aways the wind and waves that get in the way, but that’s when God’s power can shine the most!! Miracles happen every day, but we can see the fullness of God’s power clearly in the midst of the storm.
Now, I want to take 2 little words from Matthew 28… “Therefore, go” and ask myself these important questions again:
- Do I have full confidence in The One who has full authority over me?
- Am I willing to submit fully to the Holy Spirit for God’s power to be working through my life?
- Will I be open and obedient to His leading and guiding?
Let’s take the day to meditate on those 2 words and examine our hearts with the above 3 questions. Next time we’ll take a closer look at those 2 simple words… “Therefore go.”
How will you Devote2Day?