"Sometimes it takes a mountain.
Sometimes a troubled sea.
Sometimes it takes a desert.. to get a hold of me.
Your love is so much stronger.. than whatever troubles me.
Sometimes it takes a mountain.. to trust You and believe." ~ Gaither
Jesus wants to be Savior and Lord in your life. He desires to see you grow as you sow to the Spirit and deny your old fleshly nature. Not viewing Him as half-time Lord. He's not to be almost Savior. Look around you. There are far too many luke-warm, worldly, stiff-religious, nominal and "almost-Christians" around here. Let's be real. God delights to use on-fire, committed Christians ..living and speaking the word.. to change the world. Not the spiritually compromising type or almost-saints!
What will it take to fully surrender and submit to His authority?What will it take for those you've been praying for? God knows.For some it won't take at all. They've already decided to reject God's only provision for their sin ..for sin. They simply won't have Him. Dumb. Change instead.Why have a hard heart when you can grow and have a soft, pliable, and tender heart?Why not opt for a great eternity with God instead of an uber-lame one with the devil and his selfish gang!
It's good to think and decide for yourself instead of let others think or decide for you..especially regarding Christ and the Essentials. But are you wanting to live as an "independent" person? Why? The Spirit of God put it this way, through the pen of the Apostle Paul:
"For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" Romans 14:7-12.
Paul wrote to the local church at Rome. An outburst of criticism and judgment had begun there and He wrote them to say, "Hey, show grace. Cut em some slack. They are family. Get off each other's backs! Use your heads, but cut the unfair criticism out! It ain't your opinion of someone that counts, nor their opinion of you; you both belong to Jesus—and Jesus is to daily be Lord of each one of you..moment by moment!"
You don't belong to you. Think of the Cross and Christ's ress. His grave is cold and empty. You aren't your own property. Nope. You aren't your girlfriend's or boyfriend's. Your company doesn't own you. Jesus' claim of Lordship is simple for us. Let Him be CEO of your life instead of you. Jesus died on the Cross for all of us. He freely forgave us. Will you recieve? In the manner of His death He was purchasing us cuz we were slaves to sin. That truth undercuts any illusion of independence we may foster. "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). You do not belong to yourself if you're a Christian.
So What's The Resurrection Conquest Of His Lordship all about? Glad you asked!
"To this end Christ both died, and rose.." (v. 9). In those two actions we see the redeeming claim and the resurrection conquest. When He died, He gave Himself for us, but when He rose, He gave Himself to us to live within us as the wise Leader.
- Total Submission To Christ The King
You, me, none of us can serve two masters. Jesus is no part-time king. He must be Lord of all to be Lord at all, so you are committed to Jesus Christ completely and exclusively.
- Absolute Ownership Of Your Person
Jesus is not simply the owner of the tithe. He doesn't own ten percent of a Christian, He owns it all. The tithe is simply a tangible expression of that. It is a symbol of all our resources.
- Unquestioned Obedience To God's Authority
"No, Lord," is a contradiction in terms. Being a Christian means obedience in our work, in our witness, in our friendships and families, in our recreation, and in every area there is. Are you afraid to surrender to that kind of obedience?
Jesus Christ is called Lord no less than 747 times in the New Testament. Go check it out in the Bible. You can't make Him Lord cuz He has already claimed the title. You can let Him be your Lord in all areas. So the questions are: First, will you recognize Jesus' Lordship in your life? And second, will you submit to His Lordship daily? He is Lord of all you have and all you do. Please live by that Lordship. It will be better for you and all those around you.
If you've let Jesus become your Lord, believer, then...
If you've let Jesus become your Lord, believer, then...
- Go tell someone publicly..who needs to hear the Gospel.. about your faith in Christ. Let me know as well. And then use sanctified common sense in fishing for other people. Yes, be Spirit-led and tactful in how you tell others about Christ and what He has done.
