Being Like Him - a 40 Day Lenten DevotionalNäide

Glad Submission

The word ‘submission’ often sparks negative connotations or imagery in our minds. It is very easily misunderstood as being dominated or being controlled by someone. However, our understanding of the word must be reformed to the same meaning that the Trinitarian relationship implied - glad submission to one another. We see that the Son did not protest in submitting to the Father, neither did the Father impose control on the Son nor did the Holy Spirit protest constant submission to the Father and the Son. Remember, the Son felt exhausted and weak at the garden of Gethsemane, requesting the Father for the cup of suffering to pass. Yet He submitted to the Father’s will and the Father sent angels to strengthen Him.

Our will to submit may be extremely difficult in some moments compared to others. Nevertheless, we see how the Trinitarian Family gladly submitted to each other in trust. So, what does it mean to be like Him in submission? To be like Him in submission calls for us to gladly submit to each other mutually.

If we could split the word submission, we get ‘sub-mission’. Submission to another is not about who the boss is or who has the final say. Submission is about voluntarily and gladly submitting in order to accomplish the mission that God has purposed for our lives. What is the goal of a family then? The goal of a family is to fulfil the mission of God.

How much are we like Him in submitting to one another in our marriages? How much are we set on fulfilling God’s mission? One vital mission God has called us for is to bring up our children as godly men and women. Has that mission been hindered by a lack of voluntary and glad submission to one another?

Jesus’ submission did not leave Him at a loss, instead he remains exalted to the highest place by the Father. Submission is not weakness, rather it is power when we understand the purpose of submission. Are we willing to become like Him in submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ?

Prayer:

Lord, I recognize the enemy has blinded me from seeing the power of submission and has instead caused us to fight over rights, ignoring the mission You have given us as a family. Please give us more grace to gladly submit like You did to each other so that we can accomplish Your mission in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.