Sat, Jun 14, 2008
Getting It Right / John 5:30-47
To say Jesus got it right is a ridiculous understatement. But it is important for us to say nonetheless. If we become willing to say that he got life right and faith right and perspective on God and the world right and what we're here to do right, then we both trust him and imitate him. He spoke only truth from the Father and so he got it right. The Father validated him and so he got it right. Actually John validated him too, but that was only mentioned because it would have meaning to his hearers, not because he needed the testimony of a human in order to get it right. He got it right in that he did nothing but what he heard from Father and what pleased him, so we have heard the Father and have seen his form and his word dwells in us. How right is that? He accepted glory from nowhere but the Father and so he got it right. We have witnessed plenty of times how seeking or accepting glory from people is a step toward getting it wrong. Jesus has all the validation needed for us to believe in him.
But i think these things are recorded to teach us how to get it right as well. We must learn that we can do nothing by ourselves. We need the strength of our God. We even need him to lead us to what to think or we will go astray in our idea of things. We must believe the testimony of the Father about Jesus so that we can see his form and hear his voice and have his word, his life giving word, dwelling in us. We come to Jesus to have life. It is then that we have the love of God in our heart. It gives us a right perspective about ourselves, about others and about God. This belief is dependent on our ability to do something, to accept glory from God and not from people, as if they could actually give it anyway. Verse 44 is so plain, if we accept glory from one another we can't believe. We will have to want what God gives, or want God whether he gives anything or not, before we are ready for the relationship of trust with God that we call believing.
Jesus got it right and so can we. We can depend (without him we can do nothing), think his thoughts (our judgement is not our own), come to him and have life (where we know him and are loved by him), and seek the pleasure and delight of God (we believe when we want God and the glory he would give). Isn't it interesting how getting it right isn't so much about rule keeping but about death to self and total submission to God. That's what has been right all along.
But i think these things are recorded to teach us how to get it right as well. We must learn that we can do nothing by ourselves. We need the strength of our God. We even need him to lead us to what to think or we will go astray in our idea of things. We must believe the testimony of the Father about Jesus so that we can see his form and hear his voice and have his word, his life giving word, dwelling in us. We come to Jesus to have life. It is then that we have the love of God in our heart. It gives us a right perspective about ourselves, about others and about God. This belief is dependent on our ability to do something, to accept glory from God and not from people, as if they could actually give it anyway. Verse 44 is so plain, if we accept glory from one another we can't believe. We will have to want what God gives, or want God whether he gives anything or not, before we are ready for the relationship of trust with God that we call believing.
Jesus got it right and so can we. We can depend (without him we can do nothing), think his thoughts (our judgement is not our own), come to him and have life (where we know him and are loved by him), and seek the pleasure and delight of God (we believe when we want God and the glory he would give). Isn't it interesting how getting it right isn't so much about rule keeping but about death to self and total submission to God. That's what has been right all along.