Confessing “Jesus as Lord” is certainly much more than a one time verbal statement. Confessing “Jesus as Lord” is more than a momentary event. Confessing “Jesus as Lord” is also more than a on again off again sort of relationship.
So then what is it? Well, as this video illustrates, to have Jesus as the ruler of our own lives means that he is the one upon whom our decisions are made. He is the one who is sitting on the throne of our hearts (or in this case a stool) and thus given the authority to decree and rule instead of the ruler who was once on the throne - you and I.
In old testament scriptures God speaks to His people’s leaders calling them to serve Him by way of caring for the people called for His purpose. Time and time again references made to leaders the old testament calls servants. Also in the new testament those leading the church of Christ are referred to as servants, but for those who are not leaders, those who follow the leaders, what shall we call them? The bible calls them servants also although perhaps without quite the ordinal responsibility:
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
As we walk through our daily life we are always thinking about something, or perhaps many things. Consider this:Prov 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Prov 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. In an article about “The Fixation of Belief” by Charles Sanders Pierce much consideration is given to “logical thought” to bring man to “one true conclusion”. However, as is brought forth in this article review by Brett Clippingdale, mans own ability to perceive is in question.
Saw this advertisement for the job search site, Monster.com
This ad made me think about our lives for the LORD. Are we living up to our potential? He created us to glorify Him. His son died to offer forgiveness for our sins against Him. He sent His spirit to those who turned to Him to empower them to live the life that we’d been planned to live from the beginning….
And then we hear ourselves say “I just can’t do it.” “I can’t be like Jesus, he was perfect.” “It’s impossible to live without sin” “It’s hard” and so on… certainly there is truth to each of these statements - but why are we keeping out expectations so low? I cannot stress the following verse enough:
A campaign promise ought to contain some benefit for the voter, shouldn’t it? Well, here are a few promises our Father has made and I think we can call it good considering the source:
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
and
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
I can’t help but wonder what life became like for those early converts to Messiah Jesus. Certainly those of us who were born and grew up here in the US cannot even remotely relate to the first century Jews as regards what life was like. We live in a nation where Christianity and the name of Jesus was entrenched since the beginning. They, on the other hand, completely broke with the entrenched religious order of their day.
Over at www.ChristianAudio.com, this month (Sept 2008), the freebie is In His Steps on mp3 as a free download. You have to sign up for an account with them, if you don’t already have one, and then just enter the coupon code, SEP2008. Here is the description from the site.
Sheldon’s story traces the account of the fictional Reverend Maxwell who challenges himself and his congregation to constantly ask, “What would Jesus do?”
Matthew 6:25-34 - “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I read an article recently detailing the benefit of using self control to gain mental strength. You can read the article in the Albany Times union archives entitled, “Grant funds study of self control” from a gentleman named Mark Muraven. In it an amazing comparison is made to practicing mental restraint in order to gain overall mental strength. Here is a quote from the article,
“Mark Muraven, a social psychologist, theorizes that self-will is a muscle. Exercise it, and it gets stronger.”
and
“From my perspective, you can never have too much self-control,” Muraven said. “I think it’s the most important part of people’s lives. Without self-control, people and society would have a lot of problems: debts, crime, failure to work, obesity and health problems.”
To lead is to serve. It’s as simple as that. There is no place for status-seeking, manipulation, and exploitation. The directives on this subject could not be more clear:
“And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called `Benefactors.’ “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” (Luke 22:25-26)
There is no place for strong-arm tactics in the body of Christ. True power and influence is found through the fraternal Order of the Towel and Basin. Those with power and authority will not be found at the top of the ladder demanding allegiance and respect; they will be found serving at the bottom through menial tasks.
Over at www.ChristianAudio.com, this month (Sept 2008), the freebie is In His Steps on mp3 as a free download. You have to sign up for an account with them, if you don’t already have one, and then just enter the coupon code, SEP2008. Here is the description from the site.