Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Not My will but Thine

Resurrection Day is almost upon us.  I love this season.  My thoughts ponder the greatness of our Savior's love for us.  To think that God the Son was willing to leave the portals of Heaven and walk among us as a man and to take our sin upon himself is amazing in its scope.  Jesus, both fully God and fully man, made a choice that would change our lives forever.


Christmas recounts His entry into our world.  The willingness of Mary and Joseph to take on what could arguably be considered the greatest assignment ever given to human parents gives insight into the Father's faith in their ability to instill the same total surrender to the Father in Jesus on a human level.  Mary was told she would have a child as a virgin who would save His people from their sin, Joseph was told to go ahead and take Mary as his wife and raise the child...the Messiah of His people.  Mary told the angel, "Be it unto me as you have said."  Joseph obeyed and took Mary as his wife.  These acts of obedience were not easy at all.  Mary faced potential death or at least scorn of those who would never understand or believe that God had called her to bring forth the Messiah.  Joseph would be looked upon with pity by those who think he was duped into a marriage with a young woman who didn't deserve him.  Their willingness to obey was the basis of God's ability to trust them in the raising of the Christ child. 

The garden prayer of our Savior reminds me of Mary's statement.   He said,  "Not my will but thine".  Jesus was willing to obey the Father.  The road ahead, though planned from the foundation of the world, was not an easy road to walk.  His prayer was urgent...those he loved slept around him and one even betrayed Him.  The pain involved in the way He would died was emense, but the taking on of our sin and being the spotless lamb is what made Him different from anyone else who died on a cross.  "Not my will but thine" , he said...echoing Mary's words as a young woman, "Be it unto me as you have said."

Father God may we as a people, and as believers have a mind that declares...."Be it unto me as You have said, Not my will but thine".  We love you Jesus.