S163P1 – The mind of Christ: only one will
Mt. 26:39,42
[Jesus] went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
The old man asked the young man what he planned to do now that he had graduated college. The young man said that he wanted to take a trip to Amsterdam. The old man asked him the purpose of his trip, and the young man said that he needed to find himself. The old man scoffed and told the young man that he doubted his reason for taking this trip. The young man defended his position and explained that he had to go into the world to figure out who he was and what he wanted to do; he had to make up his own mind about some things. The old man laughed to himself because he knew better. The young man simply had a desire to find his own way and go where he could do as he pleased.
The Father sent the Son into the world on a mission, and the Son had something we also have. He had free will either to follow the Father’s plan or to come up with his own. This is not the only place in the scriptures where Jesus stated that his desire is the Father’s will and not his own. The mind of Christ is one of submission to authority. He was single-minded in his life here. He faced temptation from the devil to gain power and riches and to satisfy his flesh, but He withstood that temptation. Jesus could have stopped this whole process had He wanted, knowing that great suffering was ahead, but He did not. His feelings and comfort and whims did not matter. The sole motivation was obeying the Father and faithfully fulfilling his plan.
It might feel like every day is a battle for God to try to break our will as we try to retain it. The truth is that this is necessary for us to grow into the Christians God wants us to be. It cannot be about us, but it must be about him. Of course, this does not need to be so much of a battle every day. We can do what Jesus did here and relinquish our will before the Father and commit to following his. It is a daily surrender, but it can be done, and regular practice makes it easier. That is what Jesus showed us. If we are to be spiritually triumphant, we must be willing to exchange our imperfect will for his. Father, help us change our motivations so that we are driven by the completion of your will, forgetting our own.