“Jesus Is The Lord”
I Corinthians 12: 1-5
1)
Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
2)
Ye know that
ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
3)
Wherefore I
give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus
accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost.
4)
Now there
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5)
And there
are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
|
T |
he
word “Lord” means “absolute ruler.” Not all who say that Jesus is the Lord of
(their) lives” means that He is their “absolute ruler.” It would appear that
the hope of many is that if they can just say that He is Lord, then He will
help them.
Jesus
doesn’t get to be the absolute ruler of Man without his permission. Everything
else in His creation realizes that it has no choice but to bow to Him, but Man
is a “special” case. In our case, Jesus has to be made, by us, our “absolute.”
This is because by nature, Man is a selfish creature. It is no secret that
unregenerate man is most concerned with himself and how to protect that self
and keep it “insulated” against reality. Under these circumstances, though the
reality of our spiritual lives is that “Jesus is the Lord,” it will not be a
reality in our lives.
God’s
Blessings, Guaranteed was written because all of the
promises of God are guaranteed to be made manifest. Often, our lives are doubly
sad because we never get to experience this truth. As long as we continue operating
in fear, we never will experience this. Why? Because in order for the Lord to
be “in control” of all that pertains to us, we must trust Him. Apart from this,
He will be “ruler” of nothing.
As
opposed to the “intangible” (but very “real”) benefits of serving the Lord, we
have made our focus the “gathering” of goods. Evidently, in that we are no
happier in our spiritual lives, this is not the answer.
Part
of the problem is that all too often, our belief is that we exist to be happy.
This being the case, we will expect others to “cater” to us; “do” for us; make
us happy. The one expecting this will always be disappointed, for everyone else
will have the right to expect the same thing. Let’s also be honest—for most of
us, no one would be able to make and keep us happy, for what we want one day is
not necessarily what we want the next.
Our
focus must be on seeking to please God rather than us. Anything less means that
we feel there is some “merit” in us; something that deserves to be pleased.
Indeed, if this were the case, then we would “qualify” to be the ruler of
something. And how much “room” is there in one life for there to be more than
one “absolute ruler?”
With
everyday “existence” as tenuous as it is today, one can “lose” nothing by
allowing the Lord the control He requires. In contrast, he can gain everything.
A reluctance to turn over control of one’s life is an indication that one is
“saving” control for something. What we must understand is that if God is not
the One Who has control, someone else does! That someone is not we, for we have
control of nothing.
One
of the only reasons that one would not want the Lord of Life to control his
life is that he is looking for a “different” life. One is shortsighted if he
does not recognize that there is nothing in salvation that is not better than
what is outside. In fact, the two are so different that what is in salvation
cannot even be compared to anything outside.
The
Children of Israel were, perhaps, the greatest example of “lusting after” that
that is a waste of time. Specifically, after being freed from
Sometimes,
we allow momentary problems to “cloud” our perception of entire situations.
When we reach the “end” of anything, we are still brought back to the truth
that we do not have “what it takes” to solve our problems on our own. The
“smart” man, upon realizing this, will then submit his life to the Lord.
Submission
to God (and the accompanying glimpse of heaven that He allows) will place in
one “longing” for heaven. This is exactly what the Lord wants because then we
will be moved to do what is necessary to get there. Jesus did not die just
for us to be happy, satisfied or
content. One approaches gratitude to Jesus for the things that He as done by
becoming involved in the rest of humanity.
Accepting
that “Jesus is the Lord” will give one victory. Victory is something that no
one can take from us once it is accepted. However, victory is not what one
makes it, wants it to be or imagines it to be. “Victory” is only that which
Jesus has gained. Since only Jesus has secured it and paid its price, we must
then, go to Him to enjoy it. This is why “Jesus is the Lord.” n