“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:4, LSB
There is no such thing as a “Lone Ranger” Christian. Our faith is not a do-it-yourself faith. Our Lord calls for us to lean on Him. To ask that all our thoughts and actions are captive to His Will and not our own. I know I say this often, but it is because I believe it. There is no Free Will that will lead us to worship God. Our Free Will only leads to sin and dark paths. We don’t choose God, we don’t choose Jesus, He has chosen us. When we give into this reality and lay our will down captive to Him, He will shape us and create something new in us. We will be the new creation that He promises. Jesus gave a great example of what it means to abide in His subjugation to the Father. In His humanity, He lived as one of humanity subjected to all the suffering and abuse but without sin within Himself. As He prayed, He placed the Father above Himself. We are called to set the Godhead above all aspects of our living as we seek the calling of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It isn’t that we can’t do things of our own will that may be in line with His, but as we subjugate our will to the Will of our Lord we will be doing all things in accordance with Him. Our Lord calls us to abide in Him and follow the leadings He places in our hearts, so that we may bear His fruit and shine out His peace.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.