…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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10, ESV)
Like me, many of our readers grew up playing persimmon woods. We marveled at the grains, stains, and shapes of those beautifully-crafted masterpieces.In our pro shop, we could always count on “the players” debating who made the best and most beautiful woods—Cleveland? MacGregor? Powerbilt? Hogan?
In the early nineties, persimmon woods were on their way out, and metal-woods (an oxymoron) were on their way in. During this transition, there were significant debates regarding the question of who would be king of the market.
The debate about who would win market share (i.e., wood or metal) has long been settled. However, debates about who is King of the world are still raging (Psalm 2; Acts 17:16-33).
In truth, that was also decided long ago. However, many are still resisting Jesus’ reign. The Father’s mercy and patience allow for this futile opposition to continue (1 Peter 3:8-9). Jesus is seated on the throne of heaven (Acts 2:29-35), and nothing could ever change that. Scripture sums up that fact by declaring, “Jesus is Lord.”
The late prime minister of the Netherlands, Abraham Kuyper, captured it best when he said, “There is not a square inch in the whole of creation over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
To say “Jesus is Lord” is to acknowledge his governance over all aspects of life. It is to abandon the throne of our hearts and yield it to him. His reign should govern our personal, familial, professional, educational, political, and avocational lives. Following Jesus in discipleship is a lifelong commitment in subduing every dimension of our lives, private and public, under his Lordship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died a martyr’s death resisting Hitler’s evil regime, once wrote, “When Christ bids a man to come and follow, he bids that man to come and die.” Bonhoeffer did not mean that all would die a physical death. Rather, he meant responding in faith to Jesus as Lord would begin a lifelong journey learning to say, “Not my will, but your will be done.”
Jesus calls all his disciples to “take up their cross, deny themselves and follow” (Matthew 10:38-39). The cross we pick up is a metaphorical cross. Just as the historical cross of Jesus was an instrument of death, Jesus is saying to his disciples that a life committed to following him will demand death to self.
What is often forgotten, though, is that an enormous promise—the promise of life— is attached to this self-denial. If one follows Jesus in self-denial, he will “find his life” (Mark 8:34-35). This is the very life of the Spirit of God in the soul of a man or woman.
We cannot merely respond to Jesus as Savior. Jesus doesn’t give us that option.
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He is both Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36). We must receive him as he is, not as we would make him out to be.
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Jesus is Savior. He saves us from the penalty, power, and pollution of sin. One day, he will rescue us entirely from the presence of sin (2 Peter 3:13). In celebrating this magnificent reality, we cannot forget that he calls us to “bow the knee.”
We bow the knee because he is: Creator, Redeemer, and Lord (John 1:1-4; Philippians 2:9-11). We bow the knee because he conquered our enemy (Colossians 2:13-15). We bow the knee because gratitude grips our hearts for forgiveness (Colossians 2:13-15). We bow the knee because he rescued us from shame and guilt (Psalm 51). We bow the knee because he commands it (Psalm 2:12). We bow the knee in wonder and worship because of who he is (Revelation 1:17).
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at linksplayers.com.