Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Title: The Human Super-man / Topic: The Jesus Life (WWJD)

Today’s Reading: Hosea 13; Hosea 14; Psalm 100; Psalm 101; Psalm 102; Hebrews 5

Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9
7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...

Observation: These are amazing verses. Jesus, the Son of God, is described in such fascinating ways. First aspects of his prayer life are described. Notice that Jesus "offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears" and "reverent submission." Most of us nowadays don't pray with passion like this -- "loud cries and tears" -- and we tend to look upon those who pray like this as maybe a little too fanatical. But this is how Jesus, the perfect man, prayed. And his status as God incarnate was not a "free pass" into God's presence or graces. Verse 7 tells us that "he was heard because of his reverent submission." And verse 8 says that even though he was the Son of God, he still had to go through the learning and perfecting experience by way of suffering.

Application: How amazing this is. Jesus went through suffering and travailing so that he could identify with our human experience. He didn't use his "super-powers" to cheat his way through. He lived and walked as a man, and demonstrated how it can be done, walking with passion and purpose in God's continual presence. This inspires me to set out toward a more passionate expression in my prayer life and to fully commit myself to total submission to God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to lay aside anything of sin or self or fear or compromise that I have allowed into my life. Enable me to reverence you alone and to passionately pursue you with every fiber of my being. And may my prayer life be renewed and filled with energy and emotion as I seek you daily. I want to be done with anything less than all of me given over to all of you.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.