3.2.2026 - Gladys DeBruyne

Christ - Submitted to the Father (Self-Control)

Monday, March 2, 2026

My name is Gladys DeBruyne.  I am a member of the River Church along with my husband who is the pastor of visitation.  I am a retired educator, having worked over 25 years, primarily in kindergarten and first grade.  We are natives of West Michigan living there for 35 years before we moved to California in 1991.  We have two grown children, 5 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.

Scripture: Matthew 20:17-19 “Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!””

In the season of Lent, we are focusing on Christ and the events leading up to the Cross. This week, our focus is on the submission of Christ to His Father. Another by-word to submission is self-control. To submit, one must die to themselves. This takes a measured amount of self-control. The dictionary defines submission as the act of accepting or yielding to a superior force or the will of authority of another person. Self-control is the ability to control one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations.

Let’s look at Jesus. Jesus had to submit himself to the Father to sacrifice himself for us. Jesus, in addressing his disciples, shows us his ultimate submission. He is laser focused on his goal, putting aside himself and his desires. He resolutely set himself up - going to Jerusalem where he knew the price would be his life. How could he do that - that takes ultimate self-control. He had to give himself up for the sake of us all. If we put ourselves in Jesus’s shoes for a moment, consider how hard this must have been for Jesus, the man - his human nature, to face his upcoming death, giving up his own wants and/or desires to the will of the Father. And as God who is all knowing, he has an awareness of knowing the pain it will involve. What a tremendous burden and yet, he resolves to do the will of his Father. He follows through with the most grueling, the most painful journey of all mankind. He knew it meant death. He knew what was asked of Him. He followed through.

We are asked to submit ourselves to our Savior. What can we learn from Christ? I don’t know about you, but for me, his resolve seems overwhelming. Can I be more Christlike, giving up my own wants, wishes, desires to do His will as He directs my life? It isn’t easy, is it! What does that look like to us? Well, I don’t know about you, but I need to walk more closely with the Lord daily, first to know what His will is for my life. When His will becomes apparent, then I need to follow through. He asks us to do His will. That takes resolve. That takes submitting the control of my life to Him. It means letting go - but that takes self-control, self-discipline to give up control. It seems like an oxymoron. Letting go - but having enough self-control to hand over the controls or our lives. That is where God comes in. We cannot do this on our own. He doesn’t ask us to. He tells us in Scripture, He will give us the tools we need to accomplish HIs will. We just have to say yes to Him and invite Him to control every part of our being to allow Him to fulfill His purpose.

As you pray today, let God fill your quiet spaces. Thank Jesus for resolving to follow through giving up of himself. Be open to allow Him to control your day. Follow his lead. Ask Him to reveal His spirit to you, making you aware of his presence in your life today. What a gift - His spirit to walk with us in every place!