Thursday, May 7

Devotional: Keys to the Castle

Intro:
Bad fish. Medicine. Coffee. Things that go in you and work their way THROUGH you!

Intel … on the inside!

My son said tonight that he is starting to understand that we grow from the inside out not from the outside in! He recognized that if he is to be like Jesus that will not come from trying to look like a Christian but by having his heart captured by Christ. That is pretty good wisdom for a 14 year old!

Today we read how Jesus did what he did. It might surprise you some. The possibilities are endless if we will give in. God will do great things if we will lower the drawbridge and let him have the keys to the castle!

Read: John 14:6-18
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

Think:
Jesus did not speak on his own initiative. Jesus spoke what he heard from the Father. That is a wild thought. In fact, he allowed the Father to speak THROUGH him.
Incidentally, this is why Jesus would often get alone and pray. This is why he wrestled with God in the garden the night before his crucifixion. He was still human. He was looking to see if the plan had changed? “Father if there is another way, let this cup pass from me yet not my will but yours be done.” Jesus was intent on letting God the Father run the show THROUGH him.

Consider Galatians 2:20.
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Please note the parallels to what Jesus said of himself in John 14:10 with Paul’s words here in Galatians. The Father lived in him …… and now he lives in us by the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17).

This is a key principle in Christian living. This might be the key to the whole deal. Jesus on the inside. Jesus in control. Jesus calling the shots. We are invited to let Jesus live his life THROUGH us! That is freeing. We do not have to be earnest, striving Christians trying to please God with our behavior. That is outside in thinking. Jesus invites us to die and let him live THROUGH us, that's inside out.

Do:
Here comes the rub. You and I are invited to join the greatest journey of all time. We are called to allow God to have the keys to the castle. We are called to surrender. We are called to die to ourselves. We are called to give him control. That is hard to do.

It may be hard but it is exciting. Do you desire to have God speak through you to others? Do you desire to pray over people and see God move? Do you desire victory over the dark spots in your life? Do you want to live the life you were intended to live? Hand over the keys to the castle! Right now, surrender that control to God.

It might sound something like this:
“Father, right now I give you control of my life. I do not know what that means but I want to invite you to live your life THROUGH me. I surrender now. I get out of your way. Go crazy God. Do your thing. I look forward to seeing you work today. In Jesus name, amen.”

DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.