“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
—Luke 12:32 (NASB)
A king holds ultimate authority in his kingdom. It’s through authority that his kingdom is established. A king’s domain is the territory over which he exercises authority, control, and dominion. The word kingdom literally means “king’s domain.”
God has a Kingdom He wants us to operate in. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” To have things “added unto” us, we first must understand the principle of lordship.
Before anyone gains access to God’s Kingdom, they must be born again. Jesus died for the world and made a way of salvation for everyone. Salvation is free. In context, that means we couldn’t do anything to deserve it. But make no mistake—for this free gift to be applied to our lives, it will cost us something. We have to give up our way of living and allow Jesus to be our Lord.
Savior refers to what Jesus did. Lord is who He is.
Romans 10:9 (NASB) says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Savior refers to what Jesus did. Lord is who He is.
The Greek word translated “confess” in Romans 10:9 means “to covenant.” When we confess Jesus as Lord, we are making a covenant with our mouths that Jesus is our Lord. The word lord means “supreme in authority.” It means “he to whom a person or a thing belongs.” It also means that Jesus makes decisions for us.
God’s Kingdom isn’t a democracy. We don’t get to pick or choose what we like and don’t like. When we are born again, we say, “My life is not my own. I give Jesus full authority over my path.” Accepting Jesus as our Savior is so much more than saying, “Jesus, save me so after I leave this planet my
final destination is Heaven.” Submitting ourselves to God’s lordship is saying, “I am Yours; what’s my next step?”
Jesus is the Word. When we accept Christ as our Lord, we are giving the Word supreme authority over our lives.
Some of us think that salvation is a one-time experience. It’s not. It operates all the time. Salvation manifests itself in healing, prosperity, and restoration of our relationships. When we make a covenant with God that His Word is supreme in authority, we will be saved from all kinds of trouble.
The Kingdom of God is bigger than our personal lives. Yes, God promises to provide for us. But it’s so much more than saying, “I’m blessed and prosperous!” He wants us to touch the world! And if we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all these things will be added unto us anyway (Matt. 6:33).
When we give God lordship over our lives, He will make the crooked places straight. His Word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Author
Earl Glisson
Share this Post