LED BY THE SPIRIT

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:12-17)

Devotion 7 of 20

JESUS DID ONLY WHAT THE FATHER WAS DOING

When Jesus "dwelt amongst us," He did only what He saw His Father do. He never proceeded in the energy of the flesh, but always walked in the Spirit. Hear His own confession; " . . .for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do" (John 5:36). More specifically He declared, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). The Savior was very particular on this point, declaring it to be evidence He was from God. "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30).

This circumstance accounts for, what appears on the surface to be, inconsistencies in Christ's ministry. Take, for example, His approach to healing. One some occasions, it is written that "He healed them all" (Matt 12:15; Lk 6:19). On another occasion, many people touched Him and were NOT healed, while a single woman touched the hem of His garment and WAS healed (Lk 8:44-47). At the pool of Bethesda, where "a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered" lay, the Lord Jesus "saw" and healed a single person lame man (John 5:1-6).

Although multitudes of people thronged Jesus every day, He only provided food for them two times (Matt 14:17-20; 15:36-37). The miracles of Jesus were, in fact, a revelation of what the Father was doing. They revealed His agenda, to which our Lord was acutely sensitive.

What appears to the sophist to be an inconsistency is actually perfect Divine uniformity. Jesus was doing what He saw the Father doing. He was not operating by His own agenda, nor was He merely reacting to needy circumstances around Him. Our blessed Lord lived with an acute awareness of the Father and His agenda. It was His alertness to what the Father was doing that was the most powerful motivation in His miracles. When He saw the Father was going to feed a multitude, for example, He stepped into the Divine will and did it Himself.

If the Son could do "nothing of Himself," what can be said of us? What of those foolish people who launch out on their own, supposing they are serving the Lord of lords? If the Captain of our salvation could not do anything except what He saw the Father doing, how can those He saves do something valid that they do NOT see the Father doing? The obtuseness of the modern church has proved to be its undoing. It is not aware of God, and thus cannot see Him working. That is why it has intruded into fruitless endeavors and vain pursuits! Jesus was divinely guided! That leaves no room for doubt concerning our posture!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in Jesus' name, give me a heart that is sensitive to Your will and Your ways.

-- TOMORROW: JESUS SPOKE ONLY WHAT THE FATHER TOLD HIM TO SPEAK --