Jesus focused on obedience, not acceptance

When the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders demanded that Jesus identify His basis for authority, Jesus responded with a question about John the Baptist.  When the religious leaders balked, Jesus told them two parables.  The first was about two sons: one who eventually obeyed, and another who promised but did not obey.  The second parable was about the owner of a vineyard whose tenants killed the owners servants, and eventually killed his son.

I constantly feel like I need to prove myself.  I feel a need to validate my legitimacy.  Over the past two or three years, I have begun to realize that I am an adopted son of God, but I still have a lot of orphan tendencies.  I want to be confident in my identity as a son of God, and I want to realize that I do not need to prove myself to anyone, especially religious people who think they know God but deny His power (2 Tim. 3:5). As I continue to grow in my relationship with God, I hope that miraculous healing and genuine disciples will be evidence of the presence of God in my life.  Jesus said, "Wisdom is proved right by all her children" (Luke 7:35).

Similarly, in the academic context, it is ironic that there is a general goal for faculty to challenge the status quo and be game changers in their fields, but administration has a very narrow (religious) view of performance metrics for faculty.  In the information age with millennial-generation students, I believe that academia needs to impact society in far reaching ways that are beyond assessment by the h-index.  We need to make real improvements in the quality of life for people, and as I think about the life of Jesus, he focused on helping the overlooked.  I hope that my life is spent helping others.

Heavenly Father, I want to be like Jesus.  He was so focused on hearing you and seeing you.  Jesus, you lived a life focused on joining the Father in his work. I want to follow your example.  Holy Spirit, I want to keep in step with you.  I want to be a vessel for you to dispense yourself into others.  Please demonstrate your goodness, love, and power through me.  I love you, and I ask in the name of Jesus.