Ministry of Jesus

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,

and he rules with a mighty arm.

See, his reward is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young."

Isaiah 40:10-11

Jesus reconciles sinful man to holy God, making eternal life possible for all who repent and place their faith in Him (Colossians 1:19-20, Mark 1:14-15).  What can I expect as I draw closer in submission to Him?

Nourishment.  By dinner time I'm hungry.  I can feel my blood sugar drop and sense that my brain power has diminished.  Even simple decisions overwhelm in such a weakened state.  Once I eat, I feel better and can again resume life as normal.  I need nourishment in order to carry on.

It's the same spiritually.  This world sucks the life out of me.  As I go through my day, I wear down and easily become discouraged.  I also tend to drift away from His truths and conform to the way the world thinks because it appeals so much to my sin nature (Romans 12:2).  Even though it is contrary to God's kingdom, I find myself agreeing with man and disagreeing with God and His Word.  I need constant spiritual nourishment to rebuild and maintain my faith, to grow it stronger and keep me on track, to realign my thinking with His.  Jesus is that sustenance, and it is only through Him that I can produce any kind of godly fruit that lasts beyond today (John 6:35, John 15:5).  I must stay connected to Him at all times for He is my source of life.

As I submit to Jesus I find myself depending upon Him to nourish my faith.

Strength.  Physically, I'm strong.  Even as a pre-teen I remember being one of only two girls in Junior High who could climb the dreaded rope and ring that bell at the top.  It's nothing I did, just a natural strength that came from God.  Emotionally and spiritually, however, I have found that I am lacking in the strength department.  I used to think the physical muscle translated to other parts of my life until God used a good friend to point out my lack.  I really need a boost to make up for my deficiencies.

Jesus is my strength.  When I am weak, He has the opportunity to empower me to withstand emotional trauma and stand firm spiritually in the face of hard times.  While I might naturally deal with difficulties in an unhealthy way, Jesus gives me the fortitude I need to turn away from those harmful patterns and learn new ways of coping.  He also gives me a strong spine meant to withstand all kinds of testing of my faith so that I can stand firm, not falling away from what I know to be true.

As I submit to Jesus I find that He is my strength when I am weak, which is more often than I first realized (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Leadership.  In my life I've gone through a certain progression, changing and adapting as I grew.  I started off making decisions the only way I knew how; by making a list of pros and cons and choosing whichever option made sense to me.  Then I tried to include God in my decision-making process so I'd throw Him in the loop, asking Him to bless whichever choice I made.  Finally I got to the point where I realized He's meant to be my Shepherd who wants to lead me down the path He plans for me to follow.

Jesus is my leader.  He gently guides me, taking me where He wants to go at the pace He deems as best.  While I often get impatient and want to pass Him by, I've learned the hard way that things go better when I let Him lead.  I often get a chance to enjoy life more as the burden of leadership is transferred from my shoulders to His;  what a joy to rest in what He has already done and allow Him to fulfill this role of Shepherd in my life!  As my leader, He also tenderly corrects me when I start to stray or go back to my old ways.  When I pay attention and submit to His discipline instead of complaining that I can never get a break, I learn how to surrender even more of myself to Him.  There is no safer place to be than under the Lordship of my Jesus as He fights my battles for me and protects me from all that could harm me.

As I submit to Jesus I learn what it means to enjoy life under His leadership.

The ministry of Jesus is greater than could ever be completely understood.  While it is through His blood that I'm made right with God and thus find the benefit of eternal life with Him, there is even more to be gained through faith in Christ.  In this life I find that Jesus is the nourishment that keeps me going, the strength that holds me up, and the leadership that guides and corrects.  The older I grow, the more I realize I depend upon Jesus and His amazing ministry.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust Jesus to be my strength instead of trying to put on a strong front.

When do I try to go it alone?

How am I failing to let Jesus lead me where He wants me to go?  Or how do I set my own pace instead of following His?