“And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell — Colossians 1:18-19
Where does Jesus fit into your life? All of us who profess the Christian faith like to say that He is first, but is He really? In our day-in, day-out living does He have “pre-eminence in all things” as the text scripture indicates is the will of the Father?
The scriptures reveal Jesus as a man with many titles. That is not really surprising when you consider the scope of His ministry. How do you describe someone who is a Lamb and Lion, Cloud and Sun, Shepherd and Lamb, Water and Fire, King and Servant? He is, of course, all of the above, plus Savior, Healer, and Provider. But the most repeated title in the New Testament, and the best loved by the disciples was “Lord.”
Lord means master, owner, and possessor – one who has maximum authority. In view of this definition, we ask the question another way. “Is Jesus the Lord of your life?” The Bible tells us that we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. And through this gracious work that we call “salvation through the Blood of Jesus,” He has placed in us a state of holiness. In other words, He has given to us the capacity to reach and maintain exalted heights of holiness. You see, righteousness comes only from Jehovah God, through Jesus Christ. Holiness, on the other hand, is a matter of personal conduct. We make the choice to live and walk in holiness by and through His strength in us.
The primary motivation for maintaining a state of holiness in our lives is actually having Jesus as the Lord of our lives. If He is not pre-eminent, there is no desire to be holy, no motivation to die to self, no desire at all to “take up the cross and follow Him. The question has been asked, “Can Spirit-filled Christians get together in one place, sing and praise with uplifted hands, and still have Christ walking among them as a stranger, virtually unrecognized?”
Sadly, the answer is yes. Consider the Israelites. They gathered every Sabbath to speak His name as the prophets had spoken it so many times in their writings. They sang praises to Jehovah God, who, through the prophets, gave the promises; they spoke the Messiah’s name with awe, great reverence, and anticipation. Then when He came and walked among them, He was unrecognized and rejected as a stranger.
A recent media statistic reported that church attendance in America is on the increase. We look around us and see magnificent structures filled with multitudes that ostensibly claim the Christian faith. We rejoice that they are in church, yet the question will not go away. “How many of these precious souls really know Jesus as Lord, total Owner and Master?”
And although church attendance is increasing, we see no real increase in active faith and trust in the Lord during troubled times. Could it be that our ability to believe and trust His promises to bless and meet our every need is closely related to our willingness to make Jesus Lord of our life?
So, is He Lord of your life? Does He, in all things, have pre-eminence? Is He the ultimate King in your temple? It makes all the difference in the world. For to truly have the fullness of the Spirit and overcoming faith is to have the fullness of Christ. We make the choice!
A Walk In The Word 