As a drill sergeant marches with his troops, the cadence given always directs two steps: left and right. Even if the sergeant is leading a ten-mile march, the two steps in the cadence never change. It is always left and right.
As the Holy Spirit guides us on the road to life, the cadence given always directs two steps: confess and submit. Even if the Spirit guides us for eighty years or more, the cadence never changes.
The cadence for walking the road to death also contains two steps: reject and rebel. Rejection claims it doesn’t need God, and rebellion rejects God’s authority.
That was the cadence Adam chose to follow as he stood at the base of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Those steps led him out of the Garden of Eden and placed him on the road to death.
When God’s grace awakens us and calls us out of the tomb, the cadence we hear changes. The voice of the Spirit guides us with: “Confess and submit.” We have already established the step of confession, now we’ll focus on submission. Submission can be defined as the act of yielding to the authority of another.
God is sovereign over all. Listen to Paul as he describes the sovereignty of God as expressed through the supremacy of Jesus Christ:
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him, all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:15–18
Paul’s statement also affirms God’s ownership of all things. The truth is this: God owns and has authority over everything. Adam twisted himself into thinking he was an owner and a king. He was neither. Any authority he had on earth was given to him by God, and every asset he enjoyed belonged to God.
Stewardship
Adam was a steward. That’s what God designed him to be. A steward is someone appointed to manage an owner’s property. To accomplish the role of steward, God endowed Adam with the authority and resources needed to serve successfully. Adam had no authority or possessions of his own. It all belonged to God.
The same is true for us. As stewards, we exist and serve under the full authority of God the King, the rightful owner of all things. Again, this is why submission is the required posture of every traveler on the road to life.
Submission is not a popular requirement, which is another reason few people travel the road to life. Adam was unwilling to submit, and we also resist bowing the knee. We act like the masters of our destiny and handle God’s property like it belongs to us. This miscalculation results in high levels of stress, anxiety, fear, and discontentment. It is the reason we suffer the meaningless existence described in Ecclesiastes.
God did not intend for us to bear the heavy weight of sovereignty and ownership; he designed us for submission and stewardship. When we carry exactly what we were designed to carry, we experience freedom, purpose, fulfillment, and contentment. This is why Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–29.
Jesus affirmed our role as stewards in the parable of the bags of gold. See Matthew 25:14–30.
When we offer ourselves in full submission to God the King, the yoke of stewardship rests perfectly upon our shoulders. As the Holy Spirit leads us forward on the road to life, every direction he gives aligns perfectly with the gifts and abilities he has invested in us. This truth makes the hard work of traveling the road to life possible. It even makes it meaningful and joyful!
As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew well the steep and rugged hill he was about to climb. He pleaded with his heavenly Father to be able to carry a different yoke and to walk a different path. With each plea, Jesus offered the sacrificial discipline of submission.
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 offered complete submission to the Father and allowed the yoke of the cross to settle on his shoulders. He carried it up a hill called Golgotha. It is the most difficult climb any man has ever made, and because God had endowed him with everything he needed to succeed, Jesus reached the top. From the summit, Jesus can see you and me. He is calling us to take up our cross and follow the trail of submission he blazed.
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and, take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24–25
God’s grace has awakened you, and his grace has convicted you. In response, you have confessed, and God has forgiven you. Now, in complete submission, lay down the burdens of sovereignty and ownership and allow God to place upon your shoulders the yoke of submission and stewardship. You’ll find it is a yoke that fits perfectly and empowers you to climb the road to life.
With each summit will come the joy of purpose and meaning. From the heights, you will be able to see the incredible things God’s grace has accomplished in and through you. You will also be able to see the majestic peaks yet to come. Climb joyfully as you keep in step with the cadence of the Spirit—confess, submit, confess, submit.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5–6
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
