From: May 7, 2023
‘So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does”‘ (John 5:17 NLT).
Jesus described His activity as being inspired by and empowered by the Father. He did nothing by himself. He spoke and moved as the Father did. There is a great principle on how to live the abiding life on display here. Rather than asking God to join us in our plans, we can begin to look and ask what God is already doing and then join Him in His work.
This kind of following means listening and looking before speaking and acting. When we look to join the Father in His work, we begin to follow as Christ did, and as His body, which is the church, should. This life relies on prayer and the Spirit’s power, which is always greater than our own plans and efforts.
PRAYER: Our Father, allow us to see where you are already at work in our world today. Show us how to join you there. Empower us to do that which you’ve planned for us to do. Help us to rely on you for all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: May 7, 2016
Jesus described His practice of first looking to see what the Father was doing and then joining Him in His work. This is a great spiritual principle. Rather than asking God to join us in our plans, we can begin to look and ask what God is already doing, and then join Him in His work. This kind of following means listening and looking before speaking and acting. When we look to join the Father in His work, we begin to follow as Christ did, and as His body, which is the church, should.
From: May 7, 2015
Honoring (worshiping) Jesus is the only way to offer acceptable worship to God. There is no lack of clarity in this. All other worship is vain. Jesus is the glory of God revealed to us. He is God’s fullest and final revelation. Rejecting Jesus is to reject God. Receiving Jesus is to receive all that the Father has for us, so that we may worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, receiving eternal life and adoption into God’s family. Honor Jesus.
From: May 7, 2014
In contrast to Eli’s grown sons, young Samuel served the Lord. Samuel was given to Eli to raise as his own by his mother Hannah. She had been barren and promised to give the Lord her firstborn son if He allowed her to conceive. Eli was a permissive and passive father. His sons were evidence of his parenting failure. Yet, like many today, he was a better grandfather to Samuel than he was a father to his own sons. Hannah gave her son to the Lord. He grew up in God’s presence. From his youth until his death, Samuel was faithful to God. He was the last of Israel’s judges. He was a transitional figure who acted with all three titles of prophet, priest and judge, before anointing the first two kings of Israel.