Commission to Submission

Article Two:

Each of us has convictions, doctrines and opinions in our lives that we are passionate about. These are things we hold to and I fully recognize the importance and necessity of these, which define who we are and what we seek. We also have goals, vision and pursuits that truly matter to us and God as we strive to serve Him on this earth. These things are vital. But what role does submission play in these areas of our lives?

This has truly been on my heart lately as I seek transformation into Christ’s likeness. I see the attitude of submission as a key part of Christ’s life. And yet so often, it is downplayed in my own life – or even nonexistent. Submission to God and submission to others was something Christ portrayed on a regular basis. Christ sought out God’s will for his life in each situation, often removing himself to the Garden to spend time with God alone to discern it. The most vivid of these scenes in my mind of course comes from Matthew 26:36-46, when Christ prays an agonizing prayer to let the cup of death pass from him. What a prayer of sheer humanity! And yet, the end of Christ’s prayer is what really stops me. He prays, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Christ as a man didn’t want to suffer on that cross, but Christ as the Son of God was willing to submit himself to God’s will and die for the salvation of mankind.

As a child of God, what am I willing to submit myself to God for? Am I willing to do it when suffering could result? What about on a daily basis – am I willing to submit in the small things of life? If it involves my convictions, opinions, goals and pursuits in life, what then? Far too often, submission isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

We are commanded to submit to God (James 4:7) and to others out of reverence to Him (Eph. 5:21). I am praying for a spirit of submission like this – the kind that Christ had in the Garden. I know I am a far cry away from it, but I also know that the power of God can work within my life. I pray that you will consider whether you also require growth in having a spirit of submission. Are you submitting to God in your decisions and pursuits? Are you submitting to your family on a daily basis? And for the ladies – are you specifically submitting to your husbands? (Eph. 5:22). I think this involves a degree of humility that is completely counter-cultural to our world. It is an attitude that says Christ is sitting on the throne of my heart and others come before self (Phil. 2:3).