In His Footsteps

Reading through John 5 this morning, I came across something really interesting in verse 19.  This is a concept we are all familiar with but do we really grasp it.  Christ Tomlin has a song that says "Where You go I'll go, where You stay, I'll stay.  When You move, I'll move.  I will follow You."  Amazing words right!

John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, 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.

Now keep in mind, Jesus said this right after He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.  He healed the man, then ordered him to take up his bed and walk.  On a Sabbath day... this was an absolute taboo.  Now the Pharisees stood up out of anger most probably.  Not only did Jesus heal on the Sabbath, as was a very deliberate habit, but He now also ordered this man to carry his bed on a Sabbath.  When the Pharisees confronted Jesus, His answer is in verse 19.

Paul writes in Romans 6 and say that our old man now died with Christ.  That we have our new being in and through Christ.  So when we now have the Spirit of Life in us, and we have our being in and through Christ, we can no longer claim to live our own lives.  To surrender your hopes, plans, ambitions... to give your all to God is no light matter.  It is serious business.

What I want to get to is this.  Jesus did nothing out of His own but simply imitated The Father.  To walk in the footsteps of Jesus, means we; as God's children, now also imitate Him.  We do nothing out of our own but only act because we are led by the Spirit.  In this regard we can no longer allow success to increase our happiness or that defeat decreases it, since we don't act on our own but only do what we see He does.

And since we gave our all to God, our success, our life story; now rests solely in His hands.  Our happiness should then be found in Christ and not in our success or achievements.  The good news is that when we truly imitate God, and when we find our happiness in Christ and Christ alone, then nothing can steal our joy.  No comes the interesting part.  Give all this to God, your life, hopes, plans, dreams, ambitions.  Live through Him, imitating Him and Him alone and God has a promise...

Proverbs 16:1-3  1"People go about making their plans, but the Eternal has the final word. 2Even when you think you have good intentions, He knows your real motives.  3Whatever you do, do it as service to Him, and he will guarantee your success."

We now no longer live... but Christ lives in us.  We have our existence through Him.  He is not simply an extension to our current lives but rather, an entire new life.