ESOCS Devotional 3 December 2022
TEXT: JOHN 18:1-11
MEMORY VERSE: “So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which my Father has given me?” John 18:11
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
Here again, our Lord teaches us another fundamental lesson that gives us understanding concerning our relationship with our heavenly Father. He submitted completely to the will of the Father. He had the power and authority to call down the armies of heaven against the people that came to arrest Him; but He did not do so. In Matthew 26:53 He said, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels?” He had said earlier, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:38). For Him, everything was about doing the will of the Father. No other consideration was of any importance. Doing the will of the Father was the most important thing, even if it would bring pain and ultimate death. He had also said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). We should have this mind-set too.
We should imitate our Lord in this thing. We have not come to do our own will but the will of our Father in heaven. This should motivate us to align ourselves to His demands and obey Him all the time. Sometimes we make plans for ourselves and discover that they are contrary to what He wants for us. We should adjust and align our plans to suit the one He has for us. That is when we would have true success and experience peace. He knows best what is good for us. He means well for us always. His thought for us is to do us good and ensure that all is well with us. He plans a better future for us in which we would have peace, joy, and the best of things (Jer. 29:11).
Sometimes we would be interested in one career or business. But He had planned for us to engage in another. If we experience difficulties, failure, and frustration in the one we have chosen, we should understand that it is not His will for us. For whatever He chooses for us is a blessing and would run smoothly. The Scripture says, “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). We should go into prayers and ask for His will for us. He will make it known to us in a way that we would easily understand.
However, there may be instances when He would make us pass through hard conditions in life. Let us not rebel against His will. It is all for our benefit. His thought for us is always to give us a glorious end. Our Lord Jesus submitted to His will. Today and for eternity He remains the King of kings and Lord of lords. Forever He will reign in immortality. He drank that bitter cup and emerged victorious in the end. Let us also drink that cup. Bitter herbs, they say, are good for the body. We have the assurance that whatever our Father allows to come to us would eventually be for our benefit.
CHALLENGES
- How would you deal with bitter experiences that make you think that God has abandoned you?
PRAYERS
- Pray for the strength and fortitude to remain strong in times of trial and temptation.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
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ESOCS Devotional 3 December 2022
