“So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be, and that I do nothing on my own but speak what the Father has taught me.” John 8:28 (NIV)
Good morning, friends. I am excited about the verse we are examining today. I don’t have a cute story to go with it. I want to just jump right into the Word today.
The last part of the verse challenges me. Jesus says, “I do nothing on my own but speak what the Father has taught me.” Wow! I don’t do that. I do a lot of things on my own. I don’t always speak what the Father has taught me. Sometimes I speak whatever comes into my head.
Do you remember how popular that saying “What Would Jesus Do” was a few years ago? Everywhere I went I saw WWJD on bumper stickers, bracelets, t-shirts, even tattoos. But I don’t know if Jesus would have worn that t-shirt. I think His would have been WWFD… What Would the Father Do.
Today’s challenge will sound simple at first, that’s what Living Bellissima is all about, simple challenges to lead us to living a more free life, but not today. Today’s challenge is not just for today or even this week. Today’s challenge is for the rest of our lives.
Do nothing on our own and only speak what the Father has taught us. Does that feel impossible? Honestly, it does to me. But if we stop for a moment and think about the Father and what motivates the Father, I think it becomes possible. Remember “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) So, what does motivate the Father? Love. It’s beautifully spelled out for us in John 3:16.
Today and tomorrow and the next day, whisper a prayer to the Father asking Him to show you what He wants you to do and asking Him to speak through you. Ask your loving Father to give you a heart of love toward others. In doing this, we will do what He wants and speak what He wants.
