Who is your Lord?

Scripture asks us; “if you declare with our mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

 

“Jesus is Lord.” Have you said it? Can you say it? Do you believe it? I always find it fascinating that Followers of Christ as illustrated in the New Testament are not only able to believe, say and live those words, but they did so under the threat of oppression, incarceration, torture and death. Even today, there are reports of Christians in non-believing countries who are arrested, intimidated and sometimes murdered. What truly faithful hearts they must have, to proclaim Christ is Lord, and know the possible repercussions of their words.

On the contrary, I also find it fascinating that in our developed free-society, it’s rare (if not unheard of) for a person to make the very same statement. To just make that proclamation without even worrying about prison, bodily harm or death. Why is that? I think it boils down to the meaning of the word Lord/King. And what is Lordship? Back in Biblical times, the people typically lived under the rule of a king. Some good kings, some bad kings. But it was what they knew, how they lived. They desired a king so much that they even begged God to give them a king! Now they were of course looking for a king from a political perspective. One to rule the land, protect and guide them. This was the political landscape in which they thrived (or didn’t thrive). Either way, it’s what they knew.

 

When God sent his only son, they still understood the role of king. Although many probably were looking for Jesus to be King of their country rather than of their souls, they still understood the relationship hierarchy of King and subject. When Jesus came and began His ministry in Israel it wasn’t a matter of people understanding His role as King, but it was a matter of them accepting Him as King. That was His challenge. He did this by not only showing His divine powers and that He was the Son of God, but that He was also a servant King. He showed how to lead people by being humble. He was a King on bended knee.

 

Fast forward 2,000 years and look at how the role of king exists in our lives. Instead of a kingdom, we now live in a society where individual freedoms, goals and pursuits are our own. We no longer have or desire a king to lead us politically. We have established a government that is “By the people for the people.” We are driven for individual achievements and successes in life. We strive for success in our careers, homes, sports, everything we do. We have essentially become our own kings, and the term Lordship has little to no meaning. Since all our material and Earthly conquests are not eternal, we are kings of the temporary. We are so focused on the day to day, we forget at times our futures. 

 

This is likely the reason why it’s nearly impossible for many to believe and say, “Jesus is Lord.” There is no longer a need. Not only is there a lack of need for Jesus in our lives, we don’t even understand how to let Him be Lord of our lives because in order to do so, we must humble ourselves before another king. We have to take off our own crowns, step off our own thrones and kneel before the one true King. Far too often do we seek to acquire the things, the titles and achievements that are meaningful to us and our culture, and there is no room or desire for anything else. We plan to go through life, be good, do good and in the end we go to Heaven because we learned that Jesus dies on the cross to save us. We believe that there was a Jesus, but we don’t believe that there still is a Jesus. That He is the center of our lives, we don’t want to let him in other than just being able to label ourselves as Christian. We’re Christians without Christ.

 

Jesus does not desire for you to get to know him, for you to start listening to Him, for you to begin obeying Him and for you to begin serving Him once you are on your death bed! He desires to be the center of your life now so that He’s the center of your eternity. He wants you to seek and know Him. God is our father, and not knowing Him or seeking His guidance is like having a Dad around you your whole life, but who you completely ignore until you are dying where you then say, “so Dad…tell me a little about yourself.”

 

You cannot have two kings in your life. If you do, they will complete and contradict one another. If you listen to the king within you, the one seeking worldly treasure and victories, you’ll hamper your ability to humbly obey the King of kings and make it impossible to declare, “Jesus is Lord.”