NOT MY WILL
John 5:30 (KJV)
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
I think we must first all realize that, really, we can’t do anything of eternal value without Him. Yes, you can do some temporal things in your flesh that may momentarily give you gratification, but even most things here on earth, you are going to need help, and God is the best help you can ever get. I often confess, “Without You I can do nothing.”
For Jesus, the Son of God, to say this is amazing. Yes, He put on hold His deity, but this is still Jesus. If He cannot do anything on His own, we surely cannot do anything on our own. It is recorded in John 6:38 (KJV) that Jesus said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
Jesus has a will, and you and I have a will that must be submitted to God. His mission in life was to do the absolute will of God, nothing more and nothing less. That is our example, our mark, our aim, to do it just like Jesus did. He said, “I don’t seek My own will, but I seek the will of Him who sent me.” That tells me that every human being has this issue, to do their will or the will of God.
Because of the recordings of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we can also see it is not always easy or automatic to do the will of God. The struggle was very real when Jesus asked the Father, “If there is any other way.” Since He was asking, that tells me He didn’t want to do it; He was looking for another way. Even when Jesus got it settled, He had to go back again and settle it one more time, and then a third time. Jesus went back three times to settle it. You and I may have to do more, but it can be done no matter what it is.
Jesus said, “I seek not my own will;” what does that mean?
The Amplified Classic translation says it this way, “…because I do not seek or consult my own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father who has sent me.” Let’s work backwards.
Many people don’t believe He sent them, so what they do daily is irrelevant. They think, “I will check in on Sunday and see if He has anything for me, because the rest of my life is unimportant to Him,” but that is clearly not true. Everyone has been sent by God because He gave us all an assignment in our mother’s womb.
I must find out His will for my personal life and pray the prayer we prayed yesterday, “Teach me to do your will, O God; show me your will and what would please you in my life.” Jesus said it like this, “I am giving my will no place; I’m not going to consult with my feelings, my wants, and my desires.” This is a key to walking in the will of God. Don’t even consult what you want. Only consult God to see what He wants. Selah!