Here are some of the scriptures I came across relating the devotion of Christ to His Father's will:
- Mosiah 15:7 The Savior's will was swallowed up by His Father's will.
- Luke 22:42 No matter how difficult and painful the Father's will was, Christ submitted.
- John 6: 38 He knew his purpose was to do the Father's will and not His own
- D&C 19:2 Finished the will of the Father "whose I am." He is Heavenly Father's
Submission is often seen as something wrong these days. When we think of the word submission, we think of weakness. However, when we think of it in the light of the Savior's submission to God, we realize it instead took great strength, especially to suffer and die as He did. Submission to the Lord takes strength.
On the same lines, I think sometimes we are afraid to submit because we don't want to loose our identity. Elder Maxwell says this of that concern:
"So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (see Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is not giving up self, but selfish things—like our roles, our time, our preeminence, and our possessions. No wonder we are instructed by the Savior to lose ourselves (see Luke 9:24). He is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new self. It is not a question of one’s losing identity but of finding his true identity!"
If we are to seek the Christlike character of the Savior, we must submit our will. We must be consecrated. Once again this helps me see that out of all the good and wonderful things in my life I want to accomplish, I must first seek, as the Savior did, to do the will of the Father with all my heart. And my heart is the only thing I can truly give to the Lord, as explained by this quote:
"The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!"
May all of our wills be swallowed up in His.
Questions to consider:
- How can I better submit myself to the will of the Lord? How can I know His will?
The quotes are taken from one of my favorite talks found here:
"Swallowed up in the Will of the Father"
Neal A. Maxwell
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