JANUARY 25, 2010

OUR EXAMPLE

IS JESUS

Scripture Reading--Philippians 2:5-8

When we consider living a life according to God's will, we have no greater example than the Lord Jesus Christ. He was God, yet as a man He humbly submitted Himself to the will of the Father. His example teaches us the following important truths:

1. God's will means DOING--After the woman at the well brought the city to see and to hear Jesus, He said, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" ( John 4:34b ). The pursuit of God's will requires obedience. We can never accomplish God's will without action.

2. God's will means SEEKING--Jesus said, "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" ( John 5:30b ). He was able to know the Father's will because He desired to know what it was. You will never know God's will for your life until you truly want to know what it is.

3. God's will means YIELDING--When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He expressed His attitude with the following statement to His Father: "Not as I will, but as thou wilt" ( Matt. 26:39b ). Surrender enabled Jesus to do God's will with no strings attached. You cannot know God's will until you first have no will of your own.

4. God's will means FINISHING--In John 17:4b, Jesus said, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." When Jesus cried out from the cross, His final words were, "It is finished"! You cannot experience God's fullest blessing until you're willing to go all the way to do God's will.

No one in history has touched the world like Jesus did. He made His impact because the will of His Father reigned supreme. Nothing else mattered to Him. Likewise, nothing should be more important to us.

READ AND DISCUSS: See what 1 John 2:6 says about our walk. Whom should we imitate?

--Tom Palmer--

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN " 1 " YEAR: Job cc. 32-34