Read: Colossians 1:16-17 "Therefore 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." - Philippians 2:9-11
Mankind throughout the ages makes a habit of defaming the name of Jesus Christ. They curse His name, deny His existence and ignore His power. They overlook Him until something goes wrong in their life; and then they freely blame Him for all of their troubles. Yet, when life is sweet and they are prospering, they rarely if ever, give Him the credit or gratitude, which He deserves.
Mankind throughout the ages makes a habit of defaming the name of Jesus Christ. They curse His name, deny His existence and ignore His power. They overlook Him until something goes wrong in their life; and then they freely blame Him for all of their troubles. Yet, when life is sweet and they are prospering, they rarely if ever, give Him the credit or gratitude, which He deserves.
There is also a disturbing trend in the church today. Although God exalted Jesus, we often fail to exalt Him to the highest place in our life. We forget to live the example before the world that He makes a difference in our existence. He is the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and then He sat down at the right hand of our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:2). Yet, we relegate Him to the back seat in our life.
The opinion of a base society or a lukewarm church means little, however, when I compare it to the fact that God already exalted Jesus to the highest place among men for all of eternity. I look forward to the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11). When we believe that Jesus lived before He created all things, and that He holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17), these facts make a huge difference in our thinking. Then our thoughts influence our actions, which convince the beliefs of other people; and the truth spreads throughout the world.
All things were created by Jesus, both in heaven and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; yet He loves us so much that He takes up residence within our spirit at our request (1 John 4:15). Surrendering our sinful nature to Him and inviting Him to move into our spirit is the first step in experiencing eternal hope. Exalting Jesus to the highest place in our life, our marriage, our family and our church is the second step.
When we fall in love with Jesus, we enter this realm of eternal hope. We fellowship with other believers, give testimony to the lost of His saving grace, study the Bible, pray, and allow His eternal light of hope to shine through us. Loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30) is essential in living out this eternal hope, which God gives us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. If we develop this close, personal relationship with Jesus, then everyone will see our good works, that come from our faith in Him, and they will glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there is so much in life for which to praise You. You give us both our Christian faith and our eternal hope. Drawing closer to Your presence and giving You the honor due to Your name allows our inner light to shine out. Then we can demonstrate to the world that eternal life is possible through faith in Your name, which is above every other name now and forever.Thought for the Day:
We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Thessalonians 1: 12
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