ICS Daily Devotions
A Life Yoked with Jesus
Luke 6:46 (NKJV) “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
John 5:30 (NKJV) “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
If we want to do what Jesus has taught us in the Word, one important aspect is to live for Him—that is what consecration is. It is never our will but His will to be done in our lives. We need to lay down our lives by seeking God’s will instead of our own. However, many people are reluctant to lay down their lives because they want to be masters of their own destinies. Ironically, the decisions that they made apart from God may cause them to go through many sufferings. We have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live; the life that we live, we live for Him who loves us and gave Himself for us. Christians who want to make their lives count for the Lord will live purposeful, missional, and intentional lives that take counsel from the Lord. God is the master, Lord and director of such a consecrated life. No major decisions will be made without consulting God first and asking Him to direct our steps. Though tribulation will remain, there is safety in the presence of God when we know that He is on our side and who the enemy is.
When we ask questions like, “What is God’s calling on my life?” and “What is His opinion and wisdom on the situation?”, we are choosing to be yoked with Jesus. We will seek the face of God and refrain from making any major decision until we know that God is in it. If we know that we are walking in God’s will because we have sought His face and He has affirmed our plans, we won’t be easily shaken when adversity comes.
Receiving a word from God before making any major decision in life is the key to being resilient in adversity. He is the stronger ox with whom we are yoked, and who will pull us through when we meet obstacles while ploughing the land. We will be resilient in the face of contrary outcomes and experiences after hearing from the Lord. There may be tribulations and persecution when we live out this kind of lifestyle, for the devil will place obstacles and challenges along our path to derail us from God’s plans for our lives. Yet when you choose to live out God’s will, you will grow in resilience and learn to make necessary adjustments. Living out God’s will won’t necessarily mean a more prestigious job or higher pay, but we can be sure that it will be His best plan for us.
Resilience
