Dependence was at the forefront of all that Jesus demonstrated during his days on earth. He was constantly emphasizing that his ministry was an overflow of his intimacy with his Father, doing only that which he saw the Father doing. Jesus emphasized this so strongly because it is the only way in which we, too, can walk as he walked. Our growth of dependence on God will directly correlate with our growth of walking with God.
"Very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever he does the Son also does in like manner." -John 5:19
Jesus was the perfect expression of Christianity, as he demonstrated what it was like to walk empowered by the Spirit in perfect communion with the Father. When reading and studying the life of Jesus, we must posture our hearts to allow his life and words to evaluate our current journey with him. If not, what he said and did will become a storybook for entertainment rather than a playbook for our life.
“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” – Luke 2:52
If I didn’t read it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe what is said above. God, all-knowing, powerful, and capable, decided to enter the story of humanity in weakness, not in strength. He chose such extreme depths of humility that he limited his power of divinity to walk like humanity. While there are many reasons why, I want to highlight two:
1) God’s intention has always been to reign and rule with humanity.
From the beginning, God has desired partnership. In the Garden of Eden, God demonstrated his character, nature, and desire as he delegated authority to Adam and Eve to lead on his behalf over his creation. Satan did not thwart God’s plan at the fall but delayed it. God would not adapt his desire to fit the mishaps of humanity. Instead, he continued on the journey with man to attain what his heart desired. Jesus came as a man because God’s desire would not be left unmet. He became not only the model to examine but the prototype of what was possible when he would ascend to the Father.
2) Jesus demonstrated what was possible when we enter with intentionality the process of life with God.
Though Jesus’ divinity gave him access to know and do all things, he humbled himself to live life like a human with his Father. He didn’t do this flippantly or by chance. Rather, his intentionality was focused on expressing what was possible with God to humanity. He demonstrated a handful of things:
1) Life with God is a process, not an instantaneous impartation of complete transformation.
God designed us to be a process of transformation, not a programmatic robot of completion. Often, we become discouraged and despaired in our journey with Jesus, when what brings us despair is often meant to bring us hopeful expectation. I mean that Jesus’ process toward intimacy and authority came through suffering (Heb. 5:8). Jesus was a man, fully God, yet fully human, who was filled with the Holy Spirit. In his full humanity, Jesus stood Satan in the face and said yes to his Father. In these moments of obedient love in the face of demonic suffering and pain, Jesus grew in dependence, intimacy, and authority with his Father. Like Jesus, we, too, undergo seasons of pain and suffering. Whether by the hands of Satan or an orchestration of God’s sovereignty, these circumstances, though painful, are meant for our good, not our calamity. With this perspective, rather than sitting in despair during these difficult seasons, we can engage with hopeful joy, knowing that the outcome of the season is going to prosper, not plunder us.
Jesus has invited us to grow in a life of intimacy and authority with the Father as he did. His process and journey toward authority came through suffering, and if he was qualified for that process to grow in intimacy and authority, what makes us think that our process would be any different? The places of difficulty in our life that bring despair and hopelessness are often the seasons of our life that are perfectly positioned for divine intervention. In these moments, Jesus sits on the edge of his throne expectantly waiting for our breakthrough of obedience and thus overcoming rather than being overcome by the present age of darkness.
Jesus demonstrated that life with God is a process of growth in wisdom, maturity, and favor. He also demonstrated that God takes great delight in this process, and though often long and drawn out, God is patient and passionate about our transformation.
2) God desires our prosperity and success
Though prosperity and success can quickly be defined within the constraints of our culture’s pursuit of the American dream, it has a higher reality that we can experience in the present time in God. The character of God, as demonstrated in Scripture, articulates that he is for us, not against us. He desires prosperity, not poverty, and success, not failure. As Jesus walked in communion with his Father, he experienced increased wisdom, maturity, and favor. Jesus’ process was a path toward prosperity, and though outwardly he suffered, he was renewed inwardly daily.
The prosperity that God desires most is first in the soul of humanity. While outward blessings can be a part of prosperity, they can never satisfy the ache of what God can give our soul. The prosperity of the soul experiences the overwhelming satisfaction, hope, and a sense of purpose we were intended for. In this encounter of prosperity, we will be empowered to pursue God with persistent passion and dedicated intentionality. Increasingly encountering this prosperity of success in our soul will affect our doing, creating a powerful impact on the earth as it is in heaven.
Overall, the root of Jesus’ increase and growth was his dependence upon his Father. Like Jesus, dependence is our key in this journey with God. Growing in dependence positions us for intimate relationship and friendship with God in such a manner that we start to become like him.
Anyone who has had an intentional and healthy earthly father knows that his dad's mannerisms, passions, and desires start to become their own. When we grow to be older, we may more intentionally evaluate whether we appreciate all these mannerisms, passions, and desires, and choose to grow in or let go of them. However, when we are children, we don’t attempt to constantly become like our father; instead, it naturally occurs because of spending time with him.
Similarly, the simplicity of our journey with God is an intimate relationship. It is learning to depend in increasing ways upon him and so spending more time with him. As we do, his thoughts become our thoughts. His passions become our passions. His desires become our desires. And what he does, we start doing. I believe this is what Jesus was ultimately articulating in John 5. He expressed that his intimate relationship with God as his Father resulted in him doing what his Father was doing. Often, we attempt to create a 10-step plan for becoming “godlier” all the time neglecting the primary way in which we attain that which our goal states – spending time with God. The more time we spend with God, the more time we become like him. Fortunately for us, if we can shift the concentrated effort we give to changing ourselves and simply give that time to be with God, we will start to experience the spiritual transformation we ultimately desire.
