Tag: king jesus

John 5:19-29

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            There are many things in this world of great importance:  how we govern ourselves as a free people in America; tackling issues of poverty, education, taxes, healthcare, terrorism, and international relations; local community relationships and business; the ability to go to work every day and make a decent contributive living; being a responsible citizen; and, loving and nurturing our families.  Yet, it is my unshakable conviction that the issue above all issues, the height of importance for every human being on planet earth, is our relation to God in Jesus Christ.  In short, people need the Lord.
 
            Jesus said, “I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned.  They have already gone from death to life.”  Seasons, eras, centuries, and even millennia come and go; people are born, live, and die; generations exist and then are no more; but Jesus is alive, and he continually lives bringing life from dust, beauty from ashes, and everlasting meaning from seeming meaninglessness.
 
            Today Jesus is still on the throne of all creation.  Right now Jesus remains attentive to people, even interceding for us at the right hand of his Father in heaven.  At this moment, God’s Holy Spirit roams the earth and continues to mysteriously and graciously apply all the redemptive consequences of Christ’s cross and resurrection to the lives of millions.  Sometimes we just need to remember what is really of ultimate significance in this old broken world.  If people need the Lord, then it only makes real sense to live in ways that foster connection with Jesus.  So, this morning I did what I do every morning:  began the day with Scripture reading, prayer, reflection, and gratitude – all done with the realization that Christ’s authority is real and pervasive, and his reign is supreme.
 

 

            Sovereign God, in Christ you rule all of creation, even when it feels like you are distant.  Your authority is both benevolent and all-powerful.  Thank you for deliverance from sin, life in the Spirit, and your eventual return.  To you be all glory, honor, and praise.  Amen.

Revelation 11:15

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


             I have done my share of weddings over the years.  Working with engaged couples anticipating marriage is both exciting and awkward.  It is in some ways a difficult time for the betrothed because they are committed to one another in a manner different from just dating, but are not yet in a marriage relationship.  The same is true for the church.  She is betrothed to the Lord Jesus.  They are both quite committed to each other.  But the marriage hasn’t yet happened.  
             The kingdom of God has been inaugurated, but not yet consummated.  That is a fancy way of saying that God’s rule and reign has come to this earth, but its fulfillment has not yet occurred.  This time between the two advents of Christ, his incarnation and his coming again, is a weird and awkward time of engagement where we are trying to figure out how to live in the world but not of it.  But there is a time coming, at the consummation of the ages, when Christ will return to take his bride.  It is then the church will celebrate in a great wedding feast.  “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”
             Just as marriage is designed for permanence, so our union with Jesus shall last forever.  His reign will never end.  Christ’s rule will be complete and extend over all the earth.  But until then we are to persevere with patience and fidelity to our Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave himself up for us.  Let this truth shape your life today and always.
             Loving Lord Jesus, I praise you for your initiating a beachhead of grace on this earth through your coming to us.  I look expectantly for your return.  May I found faithful when you come again.  Amen.

Colossians 1:15-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Jesus is King; and, we are not.  A simple statement; yet, not easily engrafted into life.  The original sin of Adam and Even was rebellion – to break the bonds of loving authority that God provided for them.  We (especially us Americans) have this nasty anti-authoritarian strain that runs rather deep in us.  As a child, when my middle daughter was grappling with the implications of faith in Christ, she once blurted out an honest cry that we all can resonate with: “I just don’t want another person in my life telling me what to do!”  Indeed, Jesus is King; we are not.
 
            The New Testament lesson for today is rich with the pre-eminence and lordship of Jesus Christ.  By Jesus all things were created through him and for him.  Everything in all creation is held together by Jesus.  He is the head of the church.  In Jesus complete divinity exists and reigns.  Jesus made peace through the cross because he had the authority and the qualifications to do so.  Broken relationships and proper lines of authority are now restored and redeemed in Christ.
 
            We all can relate to indulging an illusion that we are in control and dictate the course of our lives.  But Jesus is Sovereign, and this is a good thing.  It is good because only in Christ can we find reconciliation and purity of life.  A healthy practice for Christians is to kneel.  I realize some Christian traditions do it as a part of their worship, and some do not.  Yet, bowing, even prostrating oneself (if you are physically able!) can be a powerful symbol of the heart’s desire and disposition to submit to the lordship and authority of Jesus Christ.  Crawling out of bed in the morning onto one’s knees and beginning the day looking to live into the will of God, and ending the day in the same manner, are a practical means of remembering who Jesus is and who we are.
            Sovereign God, in your mercy you have sent your Son, the Lord Jesus, who has brought reconciliation to a once broken relationship.  I bow before you in obedience, submission, and worship.  Let me live a cross-shaped life through enjoying the peace you have given me in Christ.  Amen.

John 20:19-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            In the wake of Pentecost, it is necessary and important to live into our calling and mission as believers in Jesus who have been given the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  And when Jesus said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  What is more, we are anticipating the celebration of Trinity Sunday upcoming.
 
            Everything comes down to the triune God.  As people created in God’s image and likeness, we are to reflect God in all we say and do.  This includes our service and sense of mission.  What the church is to be all about is what God is all about.  Just as the heavenly Father sent King Jesus to earth in order to bring all creation under the divine reign, so we are being sent by God into the world so that we will bring the message of God’s kingdom rule to every creature.  What is more, we have been given the power source to accomplish the work:  the Holy Spirit, who is the battery of the Christian life.
 
            Every believer in Jesus must wrap his/her head around the spiritual reality that God has called us into his service to reach every race, class, and ethnicity on earth regardless of who they might be because everyone needs the saving work of Jesus Christ.  We are to be preoccupied with the bald fact that Jesus sends us into the world equipped with the Holy Spirit to bring a message of forgiveness of sins in Christ.
 
            If we must rearrange our lives to accommodate God’s call, then so be it.  Eating meals with non-Christians, prayer-walking our neighborhoods, doing our hobbies with new people, taking breaks together with co-workers, volunteering in the community, and tangibly serving our neighbors are all practical ways of developing and deepening relationships with people in order to love them with the love of Jesus Christ who loved us and forgave us of a great debt of sin.
            God of peace, just as you as Father, Son, and Spirit exist in perfect unity, harmony, and love, so help me to be so keenly aware of being united with Jesus Christ that his agenda is my agenda.  Thank you, Holy Spirit, for filling and empowering me for loving service in the church and the world.  Amen.