The First Gift of Christmas - Encountering "Jesus Is Lord"
“This is what the Scripture says: “God’s teaching is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” It is the teaching of faith that we tell people. If you openly say, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from death, you will be saved.” Romans 10:8-9 ERV
The first gift of Christmas is the invitation to pray “Jesus Is Lord.” This is a simple prayer to express both my total helplessness and my total dependence on God’s grace. It is also a recognition of God’s sovereignty over our human efforts as well as the forces of evil. It is a prayer to reflect my intention to follow the self denying way of the cross which is the highway of holiness leading to the narrow gateway to eternal life. It is deciding not to pursue the broad highway to success that is paved by lust and greed which is the road leading to the wide gate of hell:
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad and is gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 NLT
The love of Christmas cannot take root in my heart when the soil of my heart is a path - when I am more concerned about what others think rather than what God thinks and wants for me. Like the prodigal son, I need to be awakened to the futility of living a life as a slave of sin rather than as a child of God. Towards this end, I need to pray, “Jesus is Lord!.”
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