Jesus Is Lord!

Yesterday's sermon on the Lordship of Christ came at the perfect time. I was reminded that Jesus reigns supreme--that God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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)

Pastor Alfred challenged us in our creed. When we are asked "who is the real Jesus," do we "confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord"? (Romans 10:9) Do we emphasize Jesus as "Savior" to the neglect of Jesus as "Lord," trying to separate what cannot be sundered? Do we think about what we are affirming when we recite the early church creeds, each of which designate Jesus as Lord?

Additionally, the sermon challenged us in our life. What if I began to live with the conscious thought that my whole life is under Jesus's supreme authority? What if my confession "Jesus is Lord" moved from a private act of the heart to a public pledge of allegiance? What if I fought the overwhelming culture of privatism that allows Jesus to be personally engaging but publicly irrelevant, and demands that we shrink him "to a little godlet around our neck."? Do I call myself a witness for Christ when I'm only a secret agent?

Today I woke up with renewed purpose. I asked the Lord to show me where in my life he says "mine" and I say "not yours." This week is a key one, containing several deadlines. I have a lot of work before me, and a lot of opportunity to give in to anxiety and distrust. Instead, I pray that I can give my work back to him, allow him to rule my heart. I aim to work unto his glory; I want the banner of his Lordship to destroy my anxieties and shape my actions and my attitudes.

There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: "Mine!" - Abraham Kuyper