ICS Daily Devotions
Submission Is the Pathway to Maturity
Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
If we want to be a mature a Christian, we must learn to submit to God and the authorities He put above us.
To yield to God’s Word involves the mind, the will and often the emotions too. When God speaks to us, His Word will penetrate our spirit, and then come up to our mind. However, if our mind is not renewed by the God’s Word, our thinking will struggle with what God said, and if they are not in line with each other, we will need to yield our mind and our will to God’s way in order to submit.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
We live in an age where submission is not a popular concept, but if Christians are not taught submission, we will be easily sucked into the world system by complaining, murmuring and even lose our Christian witnessing in the process. Moreover, Scripture says we actually bring judgment upon ourselves by judging our authorities as if we know better.
Rom 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Many people confuse submission with agreement. Submission is only necessary when there is disagreement. Submission means “I don’t agree with you, yet I’ll do it with the right attitude.’ We are to submit to authorities, bosses, and our husbands who are the heads of the household, as long as they do not require us to deny Jesus or sin by compromising with the Bible’s teaching.
1 Tim 6:1 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
For Jesus to submit to the Father’s will, He had to crucify His flesh Himself and allow others to crucify Him on Golgotha. True submission involves suffering—suffering in our soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is our greatest example of submission through sufferings.
Sermon Series: The Daniels of Today
