the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
Click here to join the effort!
Daily Devotionals
Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and…every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
What a scene that will be! Every knee in the universe bowing to the sacred name of Jesus! Every tongue confessing that He is Lord! God has decreed it and it will surely come to pass.
This is not universal salvation. Paul is not suggesting here that all created beings will eventually embrace Christ as their living, loving Lord. Rather he is saying that those who refuse to make the great confession in this life will be compelled to make it in the next. All created beings will eventually acknowledge the truth about Jesus Christ. There will be universal submission.
In one of his messages, Jesus is Lord, John Stott said, “During the coronation of Her Majesty the Queen in Westminster Abbey, one of the most moving moments was when the crown was about to be placed upon her head and when the Archbishop of Canterbury, the chief citizen in the country, called four times towards each point of the compass in the Abbey, north, south, east and west, ‘Sirs, I present unto you the undoubted Queen of this realm. Are you willing to do her homage?’ And not until a great affirmative shout had thundered down the nave of Westminster Abbey four times was the crown placed upon her head.”
Then John Stott added, “And I say unto you tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen, ‘I present unto you Jesus Christ as your undoubted King and Lord. Are you willing to do Him homage?’”
That insistent question rings down the centuries. From many, a great affirmative shout goes up, “Jesus Christ is our Lord.” From others the defiant reply is, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” The clenched fist will one day be forced open and the hitherto unbending knee will bow to Him whose Name is above every Name. The tragedy is that it will be too late then. The day of God’s grace will have ended. The opportunity to trust the sinner’s Savior will have passed. The One whose Lordship had been spurned will then become the Judge, seated upon a great white throne.
If He is not your Lord today, confess Him as such. Be willing to do Him homage!
'Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time' Copyright 2007 © William MacDonald. 'Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
