John 10:17 w For this reason the Father loves me, x because y I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 z No one takes it from me, but y I lay it down a of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and b I have authority to take it up again. c This charge I have received from my Father.”

Adam had authority over his own life, but he gave it up and sold himself into the slavery of sin. Here is Jesus, born of the Holy Spirit and Mary, who had authority over his own life, and did not sell himself into slavery to sin but submitted it to the Father. This is the ultimate explanation by his life of what “whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 10.39)

Jesus did not seek to find or save His life, but to do whatever charge He received from the Father. Laying down His life wasn’t only done on the cross one day out of 33 years, Jesus layed down His life every single day so that the Father could take over.

We’ve been talking a lot at my house about when someone wrongs someone else, it’s not so much that they have evil thoughts toward the victim, but more that they are only thinking of themselves. I also heard John Piper say recently that we are never bored if we are always looking to see what God wants us to do in a given situation. God desires to be and deserves to be the center of all of our affections. Jesus lived for the Father, and not for Himself. God was in the center of Jesus’ life, and Jesus just rotated around the Father’s will.

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