Is Jesus Your Lord?

“Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 NLT)

If we follow the teaching of Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments, it’s clear that Jesus is God poured into human flesh who lived among us, died willingly on our behalf, and reigns today as King of kings and Lord of lords. The question isn’t “Is He Lord?” it’s “Is He YOUR Lord?” If He’s Lord over all creation doesn’t that include me? You?

Yes, of course it does, but just as the Sun shines on the just and the unjust, Jesus’ reign over mankind includes every person who has or will ever live whether they acknowledge His Lordship or not. While ultimately EVERY knee will bow, only those who willingly bow their knee in submission to His Lordship NOW will be prepared for heaven and an eternity with the Lord.

Jesus’ Lordship has at least three dimensions – past, present and future. In some ways it’s like salvation in the sense that those of us who have committed our lives to the Lordship of Jesus have been saved (past tense). There is a point in time when we opened our heart to the Lord and professed Him as Savior and Lord of our life. But there is also a sense in which we are being saved. Salvation, like life, is a growing process of maturing and developing as a child of God.

It’s not “one-and-done” in the sense that salvation is a commitment to the Lord that demands investment on our part. Yes, of course, we’re saved solely on the merit of Jesus and will never in eternity make any contribution to His sacrifice on our behalf, but as in any meaningful relationship, there is give and take, growth, maturity, failure, success, highs, lows.

Lordship implies subjects of His Lordship, Master and servant, Leader and follower, Teacher and student. And yes, I realize that rubs some the wrong way but having been the Lord’s “slave” for more than 60 years, I highly recommend His Lordship. He’s strong, courageous, loving, kind, and will daily do battle on our behalf. I think of the Lord Jesus in much the same way I thought of my dad, in the sense, when He spoke, I listened and obeyed (most of the time 😊), but I also knew nobody messed with me without having to answer to my dad.

Lordship implies a relationship rooted in love. The Lord’s love for us is never stagnant or stale, but ever-developing, growing, expanding, and illuminating new ways to be intentional in our relationship with Him. Similarly, our love and devotion to the Lord should be ever-growing, causing our hearts to love more effectively as we listen to Him more intently and obey Him more enthusiastically.

Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus is a privilege we won’t fully understand until we kneel at His feet in eternity. My mind pauses to consider the joy on Mary’s face and the peace and excitement in her heart as she savored her time at the feet of Jesus. Most of us today can’t appreciate that until we take time to do it – just sit and listen to His voice and sense His loving heart in ways we’ll miss if we don’t take the time to let it happen.

Let me close today with the words of Ray Majoran’s moving and very personal prayer: “Teach us to examine our lives with humility and clarity. Where fruit is lacking, draw us nearer to Christ, the true vine, that our lives may reflect genuine trust and growing obedience (Matthew 7:17-20). Shape us into people who do not merely speak Your name, but who walk in step with Your will, resting fully in the grace that both saves and transforms us.”

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊