Thursday, April 26, 2018

Reflection - Submission and Obedience Needed - Submission to the Lord

Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Five, Question 3, Page 92.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


What lessons on obedience have you learned from the example of Jesus?

PHOTO: What lessons on obedience have you learned from the example of Jesus?
We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives. In our search for food, shelter, and security, we start seeing luxuries as necessities and are never satisfied. As a result, we forget God, His kingdom, and His righteousness.
Jesus never let hunger displace His central mission. His priority and passion came first: fulfilling His Father’s will. It filled Him with much joy to see sinners turn in repentance and faith to God.
He was careful and avoid temptation to disobey God unlike the man of God who fall to temptation and overrode his desire to please God with obedience.
Jesus sought to do only the Father’s will. He rejected human agendas imposed on Him and embraced only His Father’s plan, which led to the cross. Jesus displayed commitment to the Father that was wholehearted and consistent – right up to His death.

Is there any area in your life that you need to submit to the Lord?
The biblical concept of submission is to place oneself under the authority of another. When we submit to God, we give our lives to His authority and control.
One way to submit to God is through salvation. We begin submission to God by believing in Jesus as God's Son who rose from the dead to give us eternal life (Romans 10:9).
A second way to submit to God is through obedience. A first step of obedience to the teachings of Jesus is baptism (Matthew 28:19-20). When a person believes in Jesus, baptism is the expected next step of obedience. We are called to submit to God through loving obedience to His commands.
A third way to submit to God is to learn more about Him. Psalm 1 offers the example of a godly person whose life is submitted to God: Those who love God submit to Him through a life that seeks to better know Him each day.
A fourth way to submit to God is how we treat one another. For example, Ephesians 5:21 speaks of, "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Whether a husband and wife or how we treat other people, our goal is to show Christ's love. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus even taught that how we treat the least of these is how we treat Him: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
A fifth way to submit to God is how we share Him with others. For example, when the woman at the well was changed by Jesus, she immediately left her water jar, ran to the village, and told others.
All areas of our lives are to be submitted to God and placed under His authority. When we come to Jesus for salvation, obey Him, learn about Him, treat others with love, and share Christ with others, we are showing our submission to the Lord through our actions in ways that honor God and change the lives of others.

What can you do to ensure that you have submitted yourself to Him completely? Share this with someone who can hold you accountable.
Be careful at all times and avoid temptation to disobey God
We have to be careful at all time and avoid temptation to disobey God. The man of God started well with fearless and ready obedience, but ended badly with disobedience because of his carelessness to detect Satan's lie through an older prophet.

Obey and fulfill God's will as the biggest priority
The Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end. Obeying and fulfilling His Father’s will was His biggest priority; this central passion ran through His veins more deeply and strongly than any physical need.

All areas of our lives are to be submitted to God and placed under His authority [2]
Come to Jesus for salvation
Obey Him
Learn about Him
Treat others with love
Share Christ with others
Show our submission to the Lord through our actions in ways that honor God and change the lives of others
Pray for all these to happen

I would like to share this with everybody as we will be held accountable for our salvation.
Picture posted by Garry H.N, Opening.download
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http://static4.depositphotos.com/1000650/471/i/950/depositphotos_4711056-Happy-young-women-running-in-field.jpg
http://opening.download/opening.html
 

What lessons on obedience have you learned from the example of Jesus? Is there any area in your life that you need to submit to the Lord? What can you do to ensure that you have submitted yourself to Him completely? Share this with someone who can hold you accountable.

What lessons on obedience have you learned from the example of Jesus?
Obedience: What it Really Means [1]
Submission to Christ is shown in the way we obey Him - and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction. But like submission, obedience is out of fashion today; people tend to equate it with weakness. But that cannot be farther from the truth, for Jesus himself is portrayed as the perfectly obedient Son of God. When He came to earth, He said, "I have come to do your will, my God" (Hebrews 10:7). We can learn about obedience from the example of Jesus, as well as from the example of another man in the Bible - the "man of God" described in 1 Kings 13.


People tend to equate obedience with weakness.
PHOTO: People tend to equate obedience with weakness.
But that cannot be farther from the truth, for Jesus himself is portrayed as the perfectly obedient Son of God. Submission to Christ is shown in the way we obey Him - and obedience is the key to true fruitfulness and satisfaction.
Picture created by Paul Combs
Picture posted by Shawn Edwards@ChiefEddie201 on 25 Jan 2017 at 9:46 AM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHBJo_cXeFIfxM7Scwr6tjjWVuhUHhoW4v923GqgqnN4MyIlRLnzJXXCXyIrVnP73TCkJKmITtp1NXz3FjlQcbgSZLlaI734nhGHuYAlNXErZdWIXN_2ZC38gFZlCyf3yDa0q0dn8XUM/s1600/C3CLyWHWIAU8oel.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3CLyWHWIAU8oel.jpg
https://twitter.com/ChiefEddie201/status/824312450279473153
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2018/04/reflection-submission-and-obedience_15.html


The Story of the "Man of God" [1]
This strange story in 1 Kings 13 was set in the time after Israel, formerly united under David and Solomon, had been divided into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom of Judah was ruled by David's grandson Rehoboam, while the northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by Jeroboam, who built two altars with golden calves in Bethel and Dan as an alternative to the temple located in Jerusalem, which lay in Judah (1 Kings 12:26-30).
The northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by Jeroboam, who built two altars with golden calves in Bethel and Dan as an alternative to the temple located in Jerusalem, which lay in Judah (1 Kings 12:26-30).

PHOTO: The northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by Jeroboam, who built two altars with golden calves in Bethel and Dan as an alternative to the temple located in Jerusalem, which lay in Judah (1 Kings 12:26-30).
Picture From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3QIkCqsK-6-bzfuN_Nm2LbwexRxZoTPmgCAdj3KLxU-hLrZK0vQJIe9WgUE35OpcfxXErdS1AjpLh_nWRTFax7JvgmYnWPh_Ap5oEfbgQO7rePEnGOfyXMqxmZjscRN6QDMk2NitZN34/s1600/Foster_Bible_Pictures_0068-1_Praying_to_a_Golden_Idol.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Foster_Bible_Pictures_0068-1_Praying_to_a_Golden_Idol.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foster_Bible_Pictures_0068-1_Praying_to_a_Golden_Idol.jpg


It was while Jeroboam was making an offering at the altar in Bethel that God sent a prophet - "a man of God" - from Judah with His word (1 Kings 13:1). This man of God spoke against Jeroboam's idolatry and predicted that Josiah, a descendant of David, would sacrifice the priests of the altar there (1 Kings 13:2). Some 300 years later, this s exactly what happened - Josiah had the altar at Bethel burned down, along with the bones of the priests (2 Kings 23:15-16). The man of God also prophesied that the altar would be split and ashes on it poured out. Furious, Jeroboam motioned to have the unwelcome prophet arrested, but the king's outstretched hand immediately became paralysed and the altar split open, spilling out the ashes (1 Kings 13:4-5).
Jeroboam motioned to have the unwelcome prophet arrested, but the king's outstretched hand immediately became paralysed. (1 Kings 13:4).

PHOTO: Jeroboam motioned to have the unwelcome prophet arrested, but the king's outstretched hand immediately became paralysed. (1 Kings 13:4).
Painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard - Jeroboam Offering Sacrifice for the Idol (1752)
Picture posted by Antikforever.com
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQr1JI8e9Lz86NlMAa1iO1-CidS0d5hTW740TffLW1WkvuyN9AIHc9VK3b7pgcI-Ue7Zgsq54Q46_BvkbaXMXgV5iYpAeMblgN_PXC2JUV_UTvdy9LicuyQup_yQU8YHo2zw-1FKEy7Q/s1600/israel02b.jpg
http://antikforever.com/Syrie-Palestine/Hebreux-Israel-Juda/Images/israel02b.jpg
http://antikforever.com/Syrie-Palestine/Hebreux-Israel-Juda/israel.htm


The altar split open, spilling out the ashes according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord (1 Kings 13:5).

PHOTO: The altar split open, spilling out the ashes according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord (1 Kings 13:5).
Picture posted by pinsdaddy.com
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghibk49QaWGc38aPasuTdFf6TGfUN80sm3l5pIgYIhcA_2kGLQu8q7W_BWhfMYfMP9FfT_sLBUvou5alCBl8B25fJ1wGCt-wnBJ8JJwVayGYH7YFSuvrrmOUx8hH7yIMIKPn08eOeNKRI/s1600/110_05_0162_BiblePaintings.jpg
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/house-of-jeroboam_K2sARFUi0ON2eAvEuMs5wu843hPaFSsGhaaNJywM18c/


Caught in embarrassing and distressing circumstances, Jeroboam asked the prophet to pray for his healing. The man did so and the king was miraculously healed (1 Kings 13:6). Jeroboam then invited the man of God to a meal and offered a bride (1 Kings 13:7). But the man of God turned him down saying, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: 'You must not eat bread of drink water or return by the way you came.'" (1 Kings 13:8-9, emphasis added).

To his great credit, the man of God obeyed the command, refusing the meal and returning to Judah by another way (1 Kings 13:10).

There was an old prophet in Bethel, however, who upon hearing of what had happened, rushed out after the man of God (1 Kings 13:11-14). We might wonder why this "local" prophet did not speak out against Jeroboam's idolatry, but that's probably precisely why God had to send another prophet from the south. The older man invited the younger to a meal, but again, to his credit, the man of God declined (1 Kings 13:15-16). It must have been a tempting offer for the tired, hungry, and thirsty prophet, but he remembered God's command.

Unfortunately, his resolve did not last for long. When the old prophet lied that an angel had told him otherwise, the man of God fell for the deception and accepted the invitation to return to Bethel for a meal (1 Kings 13:18-19). He might have let down his guard because the older man was also a prophet and appeared to be more experienced - and perhaps God had changed His mind.
The man of God was deceived by an old prophet in Bethel  (1 Kings 13:18-19).

PHOTO: The man of God was deceived by an old prophet in Bethel  (1 Kings 13:18-19). He might have let down his guard because the older man was also a prophet and appeared to be more experienced - and perhaps God had changed His mind.
Picture posted by Fray Alejandro Ferreirós OFMConv. on 09 Jan 2018
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https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q7ZE3WK5U6U/maxresdefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7ZE3WK5U6U


And so, while they were eating, the Lord spoke through the older prophet to the younger, "You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors" (1 Kings 13:21-22). This prophecy came true soon after - on his way back to Judah, the man of God was attacked and killed by a lion, and his body was buried by the old prophet in Bethel (1 Kings 13:24, 29-30).
The Lord spoke through the older prophet to the younger

PHOTO: The Lord spoke through the older prophet to the younger, "You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors" (1 Kings 13:21-22).  On his way back to Judah, the man of God was attacked and killed by a lion, and his body was buried by the old prophet in Bethel (1 Kings 13:24, 29-30).
Artist:  J. Smith
Picture posted by Workers For Jesus Online Bible Study -The lion and donkey stood by the prophet's body.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju8c2hJCG3pXUnqiSPo5TIiXxBzKed5yrG7C_BxCEtKYbOvgLUhVHyRWXttrzD0z2-R9gaNUcVNfEsho-a2JdrMdwyDimZQSOOBymoaSf1AJQb2IwG_w1O68A9phkOoSJxlVhcG9rFk4/s1600/1+kings+13+-+28+he+found+his+carcase+in+the+way.jpg
http://www.workersforjesus.com/1%20kings%2013%20-%2028%20he%20found%20his%20carcase%20in%20the%20way.jpg 
http://www.workersforjesus.com/1kings13-15.htm


How easily we can be deceived b Satan, who likes to misquote God's Word when tempting us to disobey the Lord! The man of God started off so well, but ended so disappointing. He knew exactly what the Lord had commanded him to do - not to eat and drink in Bethel, and not to return to the place of idolatry - but he chose to believe the older prophet, and disobeyed God's instructions.

The Story of the Son of God [1]
Some 30 kilometres north of Bethel - where the events of the previous story had taken place - was an ancient well, Jacob's well, that lay near the town of Sychar. Almost a thousand years later, the Son of God turned up there, possibly just as tired, hungry, and thirsty as the man of God who had left Bethel for home.

The story told in John 4:1-42 describes Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman who had been through a series of failed marriages and was now living with a man not married to her. She came alone to the local well at midday, probably to avoid meeting the town gossips who gathered there in the cool of the early morning. Jesus’ disciples had gone into town to buy lunch, leaving Him alone at the will. When the woman arrived to draw water from the well, He asked for some. However, the woman instead started a long conversation about Jews and Samaritans, and the proper place to worship (John 4:4-24).
Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman who had been through a series of failed marriages and was now living with a man not married to her.

PHOTO: Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman who had been through a series of failed marriages and was now living with a man not married to her.
Painting by Howard Lyon - Living Water (woman at the well)
Picture posted by Cassandra Salamone on 04 April 2015 - Samaritan Woman Prayer
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https://cassandrasmarriagemints.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/wpid-wp-1428200120264.jpeg
https://cassandrasmarriagemints.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/samaritan-woman-prayer/


Although we are not sure about the origins of the Samaritans, many scholars believe that they were descendants of those left behind in the northern kingdom of Israel after it was destroyed by the Assyrian empire, and who had subsequently intermarried with foreigners. They continued to worship God, but in their own way. We may well recall that the man of God had been sent to Bethel because King Jeroboam had set up a worship site to compete with the temple of Jerusalem. There was thus much enmity between them and the Jews. The Jews despised them as ritually defiled, while the Samaritans considered their beliefs and practices superior.

Jesus overcame such barriers to engage in a redemptive conversation with the Samaritan woman. He knew that her real need was not a theological discussion about worship sites, but a solution to a spiritual problem: the woman knew that she was living in sin, and was therefore not able to worship God fully in her heart. She needed to confess her sin before God in order to be right with Him; only then would she be able to worship God. So Jesus told her about living water and eternal life, and eventually revealed himself to her as the Messiah (John 4:25-26).
The woman knew that she was living in sin, and was therefore not able to worship God fully in her heart. So Jesus told her about living water and eternal life, and eventually revealed himself to her as the Messiah (John 4:25-26).

PHOTO:The woman knew that she was living in sin, and was therefore not able to worship God fully in her heart. So Jesus told her about living water and eternal life, and eventually revealed himself to her as the Messiah (John 4:25-26).
Picture posted by Ruth Douthitt on Wednesday, 09 July 2014 at 9:01 AM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDPNMLwt-WKQIMFSWcHB1LSHy4WloAltULGuJOcvRR_rIiH6mWWDTT-PSnedO-PGtH6-r9waIZrnwRjK0gZ9eC-C8ZVzTMI1bpHIaVsRq1uenSMR7WOnKbU1MveZQeDcL8YCH5kOF7p0/s1600/iamhe2.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyuqP4r63YLXu3HWT-qgweiFC6UFIQ08YHB6_ZtCzhFNsQxDKeyCV0omVX9zng9CX7hgu-rB-jPagS-U45aR696sHp_RsbQs3DHRU4a9vCDW9sAnJ6h85E20L-io06vNF8EG7HaRAQark/s1600/iamhe2.jpg
http://writerspenn.blogspot.sg/2014/07/the-woman-at-well-woman-part-2.html


As the conversation progressed, we can see the woman’s perception of Jesus growing from the way she addressed Him: “A Jew . . . Sir . . . a prophet” (John 4:9, 11, 19). At Jacob’s well the Samaritan woman found new life in Christ and quenched her spiritual thirst. It was such a profound experience that she left her water jar behind as she ran back to town to talk to the very people she had once dreaded facing. With joy and relief, she told them about Jesus and what she had discovered, and brought the townsfolk to the well (John 4:28-30). It must have been a rare sight to see such a big crowd walking to the well that afternoon.
At Jacob’s well the Samaritan woman found new life in Christ and quenched her spiritual thirst.

PHOTO: At Jacob’s well the Samaritan woman found new life in Christ and quenched her spiritual thirst. It was such a profound experience that she left her water jar behind as she ran back to town to talk to the very people she had once dreaded facing.
Painting by Annibale Carracci (1560 – 1609) -  Christ and the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's well (1593-94)
Picture posted by Renato Santoro on 02 January 2018
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https://muromaestro.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/fig-15.jpg
https://muromaestro.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/in-fondo-al-pozzo-dei-desideri-per-toccare-la-luna/


We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives
The woman did what the disciples should have done but didn’t. While they had entered the town to buy lunch, they had failed to see those who needed Jesus. Their focus remained narrow and practical; they did not seem to grasp the urgency of sharing the gospel wherever the opportunity arose. They must have passed the woman on the way into town, but they failed to notice and tell her about the Lord she would meet at the well. Once in town, they bought what they needed and returned to the well. It would seem that their mission – to buy lunch – dominated their concerns, pushing everything else to the periphery.
We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives

PHOTO: We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives
The woman did what the disciples should have done but didn’t. With joy and relief, she told them about Jesus and what she had discovered, and brought the townsfolk to the well (John 4:28-30).
Picture posted by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
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https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/m/1102014622/univ/art/1102014622_univ_cnt_4_xl.jpg
https://www.jw.org/pt/publicacoes/livros/Jesus-o-Caminho-a-Verdade-e-a-Vida/Se%C3%A7%C3%A3o-2-O-come%C3%A7o-do-minist%C3%A9rio-de-Jesus/ensina-samaritana/


How often are we guilty of the same! We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives. In our search for food, shelter, and security, we start seeing luxuries as necessities and are never satisfied. As a result, we forget God, His kingdom, and His righteousness.

When Jesus’ disciples returned to the scene, they learned a key lesson on spiritual hunger and obedience. They urged Jesus to have the lunch they had bought, but He did not seem eager to eat. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about,’ he explained (John 4:31-32). Puzzled, they asked each other if someone had already given Him food. Jesus told them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Jesus then talked about the fields that were ripe for harvest, comparing them to the work of the Lord.

Jesus never let hunger displace His central mission
The Son of God may have been hungry, but He did not rush to eat because His priority and passion came first: fulfilling His Father’s will. Hunger never displace His central mission. Jesus had come to seek out and save those who were lost, and He turned up at the well just to meet the woman, as well as the others she brought to the well later. It must have filled Jesus with much joy to see sinners turn in repentance and faith to God – just as the woman found so much joy in meeting Jesus that she forget to give Him some water!
Jesus never let hunger displace His central mission

PHOTO: Jesus never let hunger displace His central mission
We allow pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives. In our search for food, shelter, and security, we start seeing luxuries as necessities and are never satisfied. As a result, we forget God, His kingdom, and His righteousness. The Son of God may have been hungry, but He did not rush to eat because His priority and passion came first: fulfilling His Father’s will. Hunger never displace His central mission. Jesus’ disciples learned this key lesson on spiritual hunger and obedience when they returned to the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman..
Picture posted by Kiera on 20 January 2015 at 18:16
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YdGC6D83DMt7U_40OzKzTdCmK8REDjI70VbM5lNQatFrz2XC2bbJHU-TphVsppB-A7dGyHvCoQVpWEh78TIejHBqaCLXmvV8_rtmhFvcibrpkg0DmYCbH6ZTBYukP_6a9ioNj06B9H8/s1600/iStock_000009114680Medium.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vfj-wMmqPpY/TZcXfZU0xKI/AAAAAAAAAo8/GinVSBnvD4o/s1600/iStock_000009114680Medium.jpg
https://aishanorth.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/a-short-update-on-the-energies-79/comment-page-1/#comment-96037


Careful and avoiding temptation to disobey God
In Bethel and Sychar, separated by a thousand years, we see the difference between the man of God and the Son of God. The man of God started off well, obeying God and carrying out a successful mission to Bethel, avoiding temptation to disobey God. But he then became careless and fell to deception, listening to man and forgetting what God had commanded him to avoid. The deception of others and his own hunger caused him to fall to temptation and overrode his desire to please God with obedience. The man of God started well with fearless and ready obedience, but ended badly with disobedience.

In contrast, the Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end. Obeying and fulfilling His Father’s will was His biggest priority; this central passion ran through His veins more deeply and strongly than any physical need. Before He began His public ministry, Jesus was tested in the wilderness for 40 days, during which Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread. Jesus refused and, quoting Scripture, said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Careful and avoiding temptation to disobey God

PHOTO: Careful and avoiding temptation to disobey God
The man of God became careless and fell to deception, listening to man and forgetting what God had commanded him to avoid. The deception of others and his own hunger caused him to fall to temptation and overrode his desire to please God with obedience.
In contrast, the Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end. Obeying and fulfilling His Father’s will was His biggest priority.
Picture posted by wattpad.com
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https://d.wattpad.com/story_parts/410211269/images/14bd41411af52e27469802210672.jpg
https://www.wattpad.com/410211269-teologia-humanidade-a-queda-part-2


Sought to do only God’s will
Notice that Jesus sought to do only the Father’s will. He rejected human agendas imposed on Him and embraced only His Father’s plan, which led to the cross. “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me,” He publicly testified (John 5:30), “I always do what pleases Him” (John 8:29). Jesus worked with His Father in complete submission and obedience. He said, “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does” (John 5:19-20).
Sought to do only God’s will

PHOTO: Sought to do only God’s will
Jesus sought to do only the Father’s will. He rejected human agendas imposed on Him and embraced only His Father’s plan, which led to the cross.
Picture posted by Paola Serra on Monday 16 March 2015 at 16:33:00
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XjCdywppYWF42N7Um3pI0UF6gPDIYJui12VnUAAgk2LG-qgcoCwbKzhvpfNbLaQyFf5G8xvkSHuvEW2xTk1r0JPMBSqLYNY0V5pYuv-2EYiSQVeNr4oRPMBV6dfKk-rexws6rXTCjjw/s1600/jesus_god.jpg
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http://paolaserra97.blogspot.sg/2014/04/dal-vangelo-secondo-giovanni-gv-517-30.html


Obedient to death
Throughout His life, Jesus displayed commitment to the Father that was wholehearted and consistent – right up to His death. That’s why the early church sang in praise, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
Obedient to death

PHOTO: Obedient to death
Throughout His life, Jesus displayed commitment to the Father that was wholehearted and consistent – right up to His death.
Picture posted by C. Marie Byars on Tuesday, 03 April 2018 at 10:24 AM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvBamFhxryN096sLb2vKKNycbRAV96zkvBnjjY7Iq3yMg34hyphenhyphen7S8W7f_CAjU3zrEa3fhvDwP4rhI60nfH8fAb0kiOzH2B3-4AGCpEsg8zvW0tcqU-wksuDiYiTIFC-PLE4hsgkoOYfzY/s1600/christ-of-saint-john-of-the-cross.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSQa6sIT7Xc2Zt8UyM4y-8QCIQ7sb_QvAcygZEW-I8Dk08-0tykKnxi8GmeUnRe2s6Nn5qbNDDJ4TB2qmZedUA9j_dQYQQdKrcBbfyimATle8IK3S5mrIDa5cI_m5QdS4lLDi-SY6GfDs/s400/christ-of-saint-john-of-the-cross.jpg
http://jesusrhymetime.blogspot.sg/2018/04/the-right-mind.html


Is there any area in your life that you need to submit to the Lord?
The biblical concept of submission is to place oneself under the authority of another. When we submit to God, we give our lives to His authority and control. In what ways can we submit ourselves to God? [2]

One way to submit to God is through salvation. We begin submission to God by believing in Jesus as God's Son who rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Romans 10:9 states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."


One way to submit to God is through salvation.
PHOTO: One way to submit to God is through salvation. We begin submission to God by believing in Jesus as God's Son who rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Romans 10:9 states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Posted by Catholic Resistance on September 2014 at 01:00:00
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBLUUJ9sDlXHnUj09XBRUMuWILHu259UPBUjkAYGIREdhx0L4hc_o_QxGF3p2DCXOlmBdbzPqKIVwhpd-wZtS3Eaplac16kWb3ZVObfNR_sgg3a7BPymHszNNoGqaUD3P2UGv8BGd3Hc/s1600/cristo+morreu+%25281%2529.jpg
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http://precantur.blogspot.sg/2011/09/exaltacao-da-santa-cruz.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2015/12/reflection-workman-of-word.html


A second way to submit to God is through obedience. A first step of obedience to the teachings of Jesus is baptism (Matthew 28:19-20). When a person believes in Jesus, baptism is the expected next step of obedience. In addition to baptism, the Bible clearly teaches other ways to obey God. Just as a child seeks to obey his or her parent to show love and respect, we are called to submit to God through loving obedience to His commands.


A second way to submit to God is through obedience.
PHOTO: A second way to submit to God is through obedience. A first step of obedience to the teachings of Jesus is baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).
Picture posted by Keith Lannon
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKHLT23aNtwDyI5-aM2nI8eepHqulDaHdd6hQqmm2G58K4HG9iJ5o29HNyNf_kp6WeF45Jmu6MHdISq8igg2MgDzAnWFX4J5q-t6MBILJc4OPDIZMik8w9rmnw_0KXRqbIhFPCpXENL8/s1600/00004.jpg
https://thelonghaulwithisaiah.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/00004.jpg
https://thelonghaulwithisaiah.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/78-messiahs-secret-unseen-resource-isaiah-112a/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2018/03/reflection-solution-to-worn-out-lives_12.html


A third way to submit to God is to learn more about Him. Psalm 1 offers the example of a godly person whose life is submitted to God: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2). Those who love God submit to Him through a life that seeks to better know Him each day.


A third way to submit to God is to learn more about Him.
PHOTO: A third way to submit to God is to learn more about Him. Those who love God submit to Him through a life that seeks to better know Him each day.
Picture posted by Mart Hart on 15 january 2015
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO18pvfYo_2tBfrRxEq_V7LAuN6LM3yu1Wg1FGjYbmNlqTyM3xr9y9YEp9dznyUft3ddBxMs_Qdyhtek83gcV3lie4C_0L_yxKItZhEDcFAu1EAy9lB78OXN-yVegFot6H6_S4QMgq7nQ/s1600/Depositphotos_2097109_original.jpg
https://d3b7z5rq4tkhrp.cloudfront.net/media/Depositphotos_2097109_original.jpg
https://biblestudyforcatholics.com/start-reading-bible-blueprint/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.sg/2018/01/reflection-making-sure-you-go-to-jesus_24.html


A fourth way to submit to God is how we treat one another. For example, Ephesians 5:21 speaks of, "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Whether a husband and wife or how we treat other people, our goal is to show Christ's love. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus even taught that how we treat the least of these is how we treat Him: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
A fourth way to submit to God is how we treat one another.

PHOTO: A fourth way to submit to God is how we treat one another.
Jesus even taught that how we treat the least of these is how we treat Him: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
Picture posted by eliseu.org
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http://imagizer-cv.imageshack.us/a/img924/7617/TvUFa4.jpg
http://www.eliseu.org.es/2018%2003%2018%20diumenge%20V%20de%20quaresma.html


A fifth way to submit to God is how we share Him with others. For example, when the woman at the well was changed by Jesus, she immediately left her water jar, ran to the village, and told others, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (John 4:29). Her submission to Jesus included sharing Him with others.
A fifth way to submit to God is how we share Him with others.

PHOTO: A fifth way to submit to God is how we share Him with others.
For example, when the woman at the well was changed by Jesus, she immediately left her water jar, ran to the village, and told others, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (John 4:29).
Picture posted by freebibleimages.org
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8e2xSFwli8ay1KSA5btdyCMLCD6gNTt3SQWJNiM3ppTCipUFnFetB3qq8lZHdQUfnJCOjl709GYpVmjLyq38JnfE1tu2Jw87-YX-imrVhpMLtBYZ34MmmCL8SI4coo59n-_8bvCTHjI/s1600/002-jesus-blind-man-pharisees.jpg
http://media.freebibleimages.org/stories/FB_Jesus_Blind_Man_Pharisees/overview_images/002-jesus-blind-man-pharisees.jpg?1441362886
http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/jesus-blind-man-pharisees/


What can you do to ensure that you have submitted yourself to Him completely? Share this with someone who can hold you accountable.
Be careful at all times and avoid temptation to disobey God
We have to be careful at all time and avoid temptation to disobey God. The man of God started well with fearless and ready obedience, but ended badly with disobedience because of his carelessness to detect Satan's lie through an older prophet.

Obey and fulfill God's will as the biggest priority
The Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end. Obeying and fulfilling His Father’s will was His biggest priority; this central passion ran through His veins more deeply and strongly than any physical need.

All areas of our lives are to be submitted to God and placed under His authority [2]
Come to Jesus for salvation
Obey Him
Learn about Him
Treat others with love
Share Christ with others
Show our submission to the Lord through our actions in ways that honor God and change the lives of others
Pray for all these to happen

I would like to share this with everybody as we will be held accountable for our salvation. Together in Lord Jesus Christ, His wrath against us will be averted as we repent from our sins and accept His offer of salvation to have eternal life of joy and true rest in heaven.


The Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end.

PHOTO: The Son of God remained perfectly obedient to the end. Obeying and fulfilling His Father’s will was His biggest priority; this central passion ran through His veins more deeply and strongly than any physical need.
Picture posted by Almighty God Church‏ @churchAlmighty on 18 December 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXv_hETsQLFIehoP81BSHwtUEgC-q40TYcXAVoRTsqd8sUb387LVTk8Nki6IhWQ0xLoZmRdhx3oII68-Bi6txNoa5zOCIY4RMG9BXVAUH_I5uRJqxDJ7ukFBG7_wtvYzmYNNPC7u4974/s1600/DRV3oa5VAAA013v.jpg+large.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRV3oa5VAAA013v.jpg:large
https://twitter.com/chanfuying651


The wonderful thing about this is that, as the Apostle Paul so aptly states, "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). [3]


Dear Lord, We pray for your help to prevent our pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives. In our search for food, shelter, and security, prevent us from seeing luxuries as necessities and are never satisfied, forget God, His kingdom, and His righteousness.<br>Help us to submit all areas of our lives to God and placed under His authority. Help us to be careful at all times and avoid temptation to disobey God. Help us to obey and fulfill God's will as the biggest priority.<br>We want to come to Jesus for salvation, obey Him, learn about Him, treat others with love, and share Christ with others. We pray for help to show our submission to the Lord through our actions in ways that honor God and change the lives of others.<br>Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!

PHOTO: "Dear Lord, We pray for your help to prevent our pragmatic pursuits to displace the central mission of our lives. In our search for food, shelter, and security, prevent us from seeing luxuries as necessities and are never satisfied, forget God, His kingdom, and His righteousness.
Help us to submit all areas of our lives to God and placed under His authority. Help us to be careful at all times and avoid temptation to disobey God. Help us to obey and fulfill God's will as the biggest priority.
We want to come to Jesus for salvation, obey Him, learn about Him, treat others with love, and share Christ with others. We pray for help to show our submission to the Lord through our actions in ways that honor God and change the lives of others.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!"
Picture posted by Depositphotos Inc on 14 March 2016
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6ZW1wWUvqOi-klIIB99Kk6f1D47r_JPaDXljYCssC9_POUi8ACekR3JFalIBV918ODm58kIBWqgWfBcnRfxwKWsf-VAANmykNDym_lFWwBRXdwpEvl-BhhMiB9owy6CvkuktGTTOgcU/s1600/depositphotos_102672406-stock-photo-woman-running-through-field.jpg
https://st2.depositphotos.com/1037987/10267/i/950/depositphotos_102672406-stock-photo-woman-running-through-field.jpg
https://de.depositphotos.com/102672406/stock-photo-woman-running-through-field.html

Reflection - Submission and Obedience Needed - Submission to the Lord
Question from Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", Chapter Five, Question 3, Page 92.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
Reference
[1] From "Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, Copyright © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-709-5, Part II: Take My Yoke, Chapter Five "Christ's Yoke: Submission and Obedience Needed", Page 83-91.

[2] Got Questions Ministries, What does it mean to submit to God?, https://www.compellingtruth.org/submit-to-God.html

[3] Got Questions Ministries, How are we to submit to God?, https://www.gotquestions.org/submit-to-God.html

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