Monday 16 February 2015

A yielded life

I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. (Jn 15:1)

I have read this statement of Jesus often but was really stuck this morning with the symbiotic relationship between father and son.  A vine does not grow well without external interference.  A wild vine will be straggly and not produce much fruit,  Jesus understood the principle of full dependence and submission to the gardener, His father.

Yes, Jesus is divine, but he laid aside His divinity completely,  (the Word became flesh) and relied on God completely whilst in the flesh.  There is absolute trust in this statement of Christ's.  The farmer has every right and ability to uproot the vine, replant or destroy it.  He also will tend the vine, prune and fertilise it for better growth.

Jesus lived a yielded life to His father, as scripture says, "He, in the days of His flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death...learned obedience by the things which He suffered,"  (Heb 5: 7,8b)

The trust Jesus had in His Father came out in His bold and confident living, even enduring persecution for what He said and did, bolding declaring the truth (he is the truth) amidst pre-conceived mind sets and fickle human nature which inevitably got Him into trouble.

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing he signs which He did.  But Jesus didn't trust Himself to them, because He knew everyone and because He didn't need for anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." (Jn 2: 23-25)

The relationship, as in Sonship, that Jesus had with Father, as He testified was One.  Jesus laid aside His glory and yielded completely to the Father's will and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit's direction.  Jesus was one "being" with the Father and so went about "doing" good, His identity in Sonship secure and more important then His reputation with people.  He did not need to look for accolades, and in fact, many times told those He healed to keep quiet.  His fullness was of, and in, God and He was completely and absolutely confident that God heard His prayers.

"Father I thank you that you listen to me.  I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude that stand around, I said this, that they may believe that you sent me."  (Jn 11: 41:42)

I don't know about you, but I want the same kind of relationship that Jesus had with God.  I want that trusting, obedient, "your will be done" kind of relationship, fully secure in our Sonship, believing our prayers will be answered, knowing and understanding the Father's Iove, listening to and hearing His voice.  If we walk in this kind of relationship with the Holy Trinity, I think we might turn the world upside down as we step out to do His will in boldness armed with the Father's love.