Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 19 &20; John 13:21-38
“Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” John 13:38(KJV)
Most times our zeal as Christians are predicated on the flesh. We may be very zealous but not spiritual and in our flesh dominated zeal assume positions we cannot accomplish on the day of reckoning. This was the case of Peter, the Apostle. The zealous Peter cut off the ears of the governor’s servant, was ready to fight, and even went as far as saying to Jesus, “I will lay down my life for thy sake” John 13:37b (KJV). Peter made that statement under the influence of the arm of flesh without knowing the implication of such statement. A man under flesh-induced zealousness is like a drunkard, who utters statement or words that are too weighty with reckless lightness. Laying your life for someone is not in the saying, but in doing. It takes a total obedience to the will of God for such an action to be accomplished.
To lay down His life for the salvation of humanity Christ has to willingly and obediently surrender to the will of God, not minding the pain, agony and humiliation associated with it. His agonizing prayer at the garden of Gethsemane attest to this. “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from : nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” Matthew 26: 39b(KJV). That was a wilful obedience and total surrender to the will of God. It takes the complete take-over of the inner being by the Spirit of God for someone to be ready to lay down his life. This is what the Bible refers to as full obedience. Majority of us today are operating in the zeal of Peter at this instance. In fact, Peter denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69-74), and his remembrance of the above statement of Christ led to his repentance. It takes the power of the Spirit for someone to preach and proclaim the gospel of Christ, not the zeal that is rooted in the flesh. This was the reason Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8 (KJV) “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto uttermost part of the earth”
Our zealousness should be predicated upon total obedience, which is spiritual and a product of the power of the Holy Ghost. It is by the working of the Holy Spirit in our life that we attain to complete obedience in readiness to lay down our life. The three Hebrew men in the book of Daniel attained such obedience and they came out of the fiery furnace unhurt, Abraham attained such obedience and it was counted unto him as righteousness and he became the father of nation., Daniel attained to such obedience and he was in the lion’s den unhurt throughout the night. This is obedience rooted in our faith in God. Above all, Christ attained to such obedience and He was raised from the dead and ascended to the throne of the Majesty on high. This is what the scripture meant in 2 Corinthians 10:6 (KJV) “and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”
My dear reader the ability to do the will of God is given by the Holy Spirit. It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. Allow Christ into your life and you shall attest of His power to live in obedience to His will.
Prayer: My father, give me the grace to remain obedient to your will.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo