Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:39

Jesus was on a mission from His Father, and in carrying out that mission, He demonstrated for us His unswerving commitment to do His Father’s will and to accomplish His purpose. In this verse, we are approaching the culmination of Jesus’ mission as the Messiah; just consider what He was asking here!

He knows that His time has finally come, and that in a short period of time, He would be handed over to evil men to be beaten, mocked and murdered. Well now, just think about that!

It doesn’t sound like a picnic to me.

Yet not as I will, but as you will.

Without a doubt, Jesus showed us how we should respond to God’s call, and let’s be clear, we’ve all been called to serve our Father in heaven in one way or another.

It may not be discussed as often as it should be, but here’s something else to think about: While it’s fairly obvious what we get out of Jesus’ obedience to His Father, but what might we receive from our own obedience? I’m not suggesting that we should obey God to get goodies or anything like that, and Salvation certainly cannot be earned, but rather, I’m suggesting that obedience to God does have its advantages , for instance: A clear conscience, a heart filled with the joy of God’s presence, the satisfaction and joy of being a part of God’s eternal plan, or even the satisfaction of looking into a mirror and not seeing a hypocrite.

I suppose that when it all comes down to the final day, being obedient to God is rewarding because it is something we do because we love Him, not because we feel that we must, or else. It is a lifetime of letting God’s love work in us, and through us, into the lives of those around us, and is there really another purpose in the entire world that can compare with that?