For The Kingdom: Joy-Filled Living In Difficult Days | Day 32
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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 2:5-11
A Bad King, is a Bad Thing… and I am a Bad King.
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Baron Acton
Man was never meant to sit on the throne of power. Without getting political, have you ever looked at our political leaders or candidates and thought, “we should be able to do better than this”? Our sinful nature will always lead us towards injustice, suffering and shame. If your heart was a throne, who or what would you want to sit on it as the Sovereign King? The sinful nature within us is continually trying to convince us to usurp Christ’s authority and rule our own life. Yet, we can be prideful, lazy, selfish, indecisive, quick to anger and slow to forgive. In your sinful nature, you are a Bad King, and a Bad King, is A Bad Thing.
What if a Great King sat on the throne of your heart? A universe in which Jesus has absolute power and all authority is a great thing for all of us. There will come a day when He will make all things right, He will fix all that is broken, He will usher in eternal justice, peace, joy and love. Everything that is wrong with our world will be made right. This day of Christ’s eternal reign is coming. Yet, His Kingdom has already come to those who place their faith in Him. When Christ is the Sovereign King in our own hearts, He begins inside of us what He will complete when His Kingdom is eternally established. When we make Jesus the Sovereign King of our hearts and lives, He defeats the sin that enslaves us and conquers the death that depraves us. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and King, He plants a Kingdom seed in us through His Spirit. The fruit of this seed grows within us as we continually submit to His Spirit. This Kingdom seed produces the following Kingdom fruit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In Galatians 5:22, Paul calls these the “fruit of the Spirit.” These characteristics are all the marks of the King reigning supremely within us. He wants to give you these characteristics in every area of your life.
– In your family, marriage and dating relationships, Jesus the Sovereign King wants to give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s My King!
– In the stress and anxiety of your school and work environments, Jesus the Sovereign King wants to give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s My King!
– When you are plagued by self-doubt, negative self talk, self hatred and thoughts of suicide, Jesus the Sovereign King wants to give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s My King!
– When people betray you, disappoint you, abuse you and let you down, Jesus the Sovereign King wants to give you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s My King!
That’s My King… Do you know Him?
You can! Jesus is a Great King. He loves you unconditionally. He will bless you unimaginably. He will transform you unexpectedly. He will save you undeservedly! The first and most personal step is confessing that Jesus is King. Again, Philippians tells us 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.” Not every one will be saved and not every one will enter into heaven, but everyone will bow and every one will confess that Jesus is the Sovereign King. The opportunity to make that confession is today.
The Bible says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
The word “Lord” in each of these passages in the greek is “kurios” which means- “supreme master and owner.” It is no small thing for the modern man or woman to come to a place in which they are willing to recognize Jesus as the “supreme master and owner” of their life. Yet, when you truly come to that place in which you are willing to confess that Jesus is your Sovereign King and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you can rest in this truth- You Will Be Saved!
Don’t wait, “Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 All who call upon the name of Jesus will be saved. Will you make Jesus both your Savior and your Lord today? Will you surrender your sin to Him in search of forgiveness? Will you submit your will to Him as the King of all Kings? Will you say,
That’s My King!
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