Not a Catch-All Drawer

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
John 5:19 NASB

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 5:30

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:38

So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
John 8:28

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39

In my testimony, I’ve described a process contingent on my ‘yes’ to God, yet it’s not been dependent on my strength to perform. I can’t WILL my way into His pleasure – remember, I’ve unsuccessfully tried that. And actually that was seeking my own pleasure anyway.  To carry the presence and ecstasy of God will cost us everything, and I do mean everything.

Look at the account of the Hebrews in the wilderness. The Lord’s presence didn’t rest on a Hebrew’s trunk being schlepped across the desert with a bunch of their possessions.  The Ark wasn’t a catch-all drawer, nor did it function like a mounted luggage carrier.  The Ark was dedicated and empty of all but what the Lord put in there.

What I’ve laid out in my last post is that this everything includes seeking satisfaction for self. Wow, that makes my knees weak! And all the while, I’m not Christ’s martyr in this process, even though it’s a work of the Cross. To live for Another’s ecstasy is to die to seeking your own. And though it doesn’t mean I am void of satisfaction, fulfillment or even the experience of ecstasy, it does mean my endless pursuit of satisfying myself is stymied.  Now, my attempts to self-satisfy sting and burn. Although I foolishly rush in, the substance gained for self now sours my stomach. I suppose my blanket yes to Him has ruined me for anything less.

Now, I say all the above with this in mind: to abandon self for God’s sake sets me in the position to receive His ecstasy. Yes, I’m a vessel created to contain His very own ecstasy. It’s my privilege to accept this precious Gift. The Spirit made me His vessel and He brings His ecstasy as He chooses. You see, even if I forsake my self for His pleasure, it doesn’t guarantee how He will manifest His satisfaction. I still am not in control!

But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”
John 4:32, 34