“Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength
and with all your mind” Luke 10:27
“… there is but one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live”
1 Cor. 8:6.
The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton; Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee; the 2012 Olympic games in London... These extravaganzas, along with the TV series "Downton Abbey", have reawakened the world's fascination with the British peerage, as through our television screens we are "introduced" to Lord This and Lady That.
The simple dictionary definition of “lord” is “a master, a ruler” (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary).
The simple dictionary definition of “lord” is “a master, a ruler” (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary).
Whether or not we live in a country with a royal family and nobility, each of our lives is governed by one ruler or another. Who or what is your master or ruler? As
Christians, many of us would say, “Well of course, Jesus is my Lord!”
But is He really? Let’s examine that
statement in light of the following criteria:
If God is truly Lord of your life, then
your
prayers
actions
thoughts
motivations
attitudes
goals
energies
would
be governed by and directed towards the expression and accomplishment of His purposes in and through your
life
circumstances
activities
relationships.
No
matter what the circumstances look like; no matter what desires stir in your
heart, your single-minded focus would be living a life out of the core
surrender of your will and desires to His will, His way, His timing, His
purpose.
On the other hand, if in practice something
or someone else is lord in your life, then your
prayers
actions
thoughts
motivations
attitudes
goals
energies
would
be directed towards trying to get both God and others to serve the purpose of
that person, relationship, aspiration, possession, activity or ideal that holds preeminence in your life.
Instead of trusting God with this area of your greatest priority, your
physical
mental
emotional
spiritual
attention
and energies will be consumed with trying to get God and others to help accomplish
what you want in this area of your most intense focus.
The destructive effects of this state of
affairs are widespread:
·
You
devalue your relationship with God, “using” Him to serve your own lesser "lord".
·
You
devalue your relationships with others, “using” them similarly, reducing their intrinsic
worth in your life to the extent to which they help you serve this priority also.
·
You
expend your own energies towards who or what is “lord” in your life to an
extent that begins to destroy you from the inside out.
·
You
sacrifice your God-given identity and destiny on the altar of your “lord”.
·
You
sacrifice the fullness of God’s glorious purposes in and through your life, on
this same altar.
Can you just let go? Can you release the
person, relationship, aspiration, possession, activity or ideal you hold so tightly in your cramped fist, and
relinquish yourself as well as him, her or it to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Can you trust that God in His consuming love, wisdom and faithfulness is at all
times working for your highest and best good – so that the abundance of His
life will cause you to flourish?
Or are you determined to maintain your
grip on your lesser “lord”, continuing to exist in a sad wilderness of wilted potential while you strive for what can never truly satisfy your deepest longings?
To choose the Lordship of Jesus Christ in your life is
to choose life. To choose the Lordship of Jesus Christ is to choose to trust Him to cause you to flourish. To choose the Lordship of Jesus Christ is to choose to live your life
out of a place of freedom, authority, healing and redemption.
“… choose this day
whom you will serve…” Joshua 24:15
“… Now choose life,
so that you and your children may live” Deut. 30:19
