“Unless Jesus is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”
S. M. Zwemer
Lordship was not in my vocabulary the first seventeen years of my walk with God. Yes, I believed and made a public confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. But my Christian life was full of compromise. My beliefs did not necessarily change my actions. Who I was on Sundays was not who I was the rest of the week. I’m not sure how much strangers could tell a difference in me because of my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
My husband and I began to attend Trinity Church when we moved to Omaha in 1989. It was there I first learned about lordship. If I profess Jesus is Lord of my life, then my actions, thoughts, speech and emotions will align themselves with Jesus. What Jesus would do, I would do. In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Without lordship, there is no bowing down to God’s authority. If I haven’t made Jesus Lord of my life, then disobedience toward God won’t bother me. We’ll do what Jesus says to do if He is the master of our lives.
Lordship allows no disconnect. In other words bowing down to God’s authority makes me the same person across the board. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and want to obey Him, whether I’m at home or at work, during ministry or on vacation. My life, along with my mind, will and emotions revolve around Jesus. Lee C. Camp writes about the same thing. “Jesus of Nazareth always comes asking disciples to follow Him-not merely ‘accept Him,’ not merely ‘believe in Him,’ not merely ‘worship Him,’ but to follow Him: one either follows Christ or one does not. There is no compartmentalization of faith, no realm, no sphere, no business, no politic in which the lordship of Christ will be excluded. We either make Him Lord of all lords, or we deny Him as Lord of any.”
The secret to lordship is love. The more madly in love with God, the more desirous I am to obey Him and submit to His authority. Love is a better motivator than fear. Obedience to God is not legalism if it’s fueled by love. I desire to please my husband and do what he asks me to do simply because I love him, not because I fear him.
If you have difficulty obeying God and submitting to His lordship, ask the Holy Spirit to cause you to fall more in love with Him. When a passionate love burns within your heart for Jesus, you will have little difficulty obeying Him. Then when you call Him ‘Lord, Lord,’ you will do what He says.
“Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone to accept, His lordship.”
Elisabeth Elliot
Relevant Reflections:
1. How is the lordship of Jesus Christ displayed in your life?
2. In what ways do you compromise your walk with God?
3. Are you the same person in every area of your life?