I like to read the account of Elijah's response to God in 1 Kings 17 and The Word of the Lord came to Elijah, and he did what God told him to do. Several times God spoke and Elijah obeyed. As a result of his obedience, Elijah was used in a powerful way to exalt God's name.
His response to God's Word was always immediate and exact. He did precisely what God told him to do as soon as God told him to do it. Remember that delayed obedience is the same as disobedience.
Lordship involves obedience. Are you doing what the Lord has instructed you to do? Are you doing it immediately and exactly? Are you obeying God? Stephen Olford recounts a wonderful story about an incident in the life of his friend and mentor, Graham Scroggie.
Scroggie was speaking at the Keswick Convention in England on one occasion when he was approached by a young woman who had been greatly stirred by his message on the Lordship of Christ. Walking up to him at the close of the service, she said, "I want Jesus to be Lord of my life, but I am afraid God will send me overseas as a missionary, and I don't want to go.
Opening the Bible to Acts , Dr. Scroggie explained the utter absurdity of Peter's answer. You will remember that God had given Peter a vision of a sheet in which were all manner of four-footed animals, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
And a voice came to him, "Rise Peter, kill and eat. Scroggie went on to explain, "A slave never dictates to a master. Therefore, to say 'Not so, Lord' was impertinent!
Scroggie, "I want you to cross out the two words 'not so' and leave the word 'Lord'; or else cross out the word 'Lord' and leave 'not so'. For some time she struggled. Then he returned. Looking over her shoulder, he saw a tear-stained page. The words "not so" were crossed out. With a glad light in her eyes, she repeated affirmatively, "Lord! She was now His disciple, and He was her Lord and Master.
What a powerful story! Is your obedience up to date? Finally, the lordship of Jesus Christ involves willing service. There must be a time in your life when you, like the prophet Isaiah, are willing to say, "Here am I Lord, send me. A number of years ago my wife enjoyed attending an annual Bible conference in Asheville, North Carolina , sponsored by Columbia Bible College. The lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives involves our willingness to go where He sends us, when He sends us, regardless of the cost.
Is Jesus the Lord of this area in your life? Can you honestly say, "Anywhere, Lord! Anytime, Lord! Any cost, Lord? The Christian life is a wonderful life. Christ has made every provision for His children to live full and abundant lives, but there is a cost involved. Such a life does not come cheaply nor easily. The life Christ has for His children requires that we die to ourselves.
There can be no rivals to the throne of our life. It is to be occupied by Jesus alone. I am forever spoiled. The lordship of Jesus Christ is the theme of his life and ministry. How Dr. Olford came to know Jesus Christ as absolute Lord of his life is a thrilling testimony. The following portions of Dr. In fact, this return to the Lord consummated in my call to the ministry. At the time I was in England, studying to be an engineer, but God made it abundantly clear that His plan for my life was to serve Him as a preacher — anywhere, at anytime, and at any cost.
Following his theological training, Dr. Then came a time when he became increasingly aware of a deep inner dissatisfaction. Something was missing. His soul hungered and thirsted for the presence of God and the power of His Spirit. Olford continues:. Clearing my calendar for a period of two weeks, I decided to retreat to some quiet place to read and wait upon the Lord. I made arrangements to stay at a little cottage in Porthcawl, on the south coast of Wales.
I took with me two suitcases of books, including works of Calvin and Owen on the Holy Spirit. I also scheduled a study on such portions of Scripture as John , the Acts of the Apostles, Romans 8, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians. Morning, noon, and night I read, meditated and prayed.
Gradually confusions were clarified and convictions were crystallized. As I examined the text Eph. First, there was the initial acceptance of the Spirit's control — "Be filled in the Spirit and with the Spirit. The site is maintained by volunteers that come from around the globe and join a team of local Palestinians and Israelis. They noted its proximity to a main city gate, its association with executions according to local tradition, and its physical resemblance to a skull.
Archeological evidence, including an ancient winepress, suggests that this place was an agricultural garden in those days, and inside the garden an ancient Jewish tomb has been found, perhaps the empty tomb of Jesus.
Some believe that this garden is the setting of those gospel events. When the child Jesus was born, his mother Mary laid him in a manger Lk Mangers were located wherever livestock were kept, places like stables, corrals, or caves. Farmers were sure to keep their mangers well-supplied with fodder at all times so the animals would never go hungry. The cattle can walk up to a manger at any time, and then spend long, leisure hours chomping away, chewing and slowly re-chewing their cud.
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem there was no room for them at the inn, so they were forced to find lodging elsewhere, probably in a cave where animals were staying. When Jesus was born, Mary would not have wanted to lay her infant on the hard, cold, stone floor.
Instead, she had to make due with what was available and the manger proved to be a convenient alternative: the hay was soft, the box was up and off the ground, and the sides tall enough to keep her child safely inside. They went in haste and found the child in the feeding trough and they feasted their eyes on him Lk Jesus was not laid in a manger by accident.
It is a major spiritual symbol.
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