Monday, August 22, 2011

The Jesus Prayer Part 4 - Lord

Ps 98:2
The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

1Cor 8:6
But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.



What do we mean when we call Jesus "Lord"? Who is the Lord? What does it mean for Him to be "Lord"? These are things we must think about when we dare to say that Jesus is Lord and to call on Him as such.

When Moses encountered the Lord in the burning bush on Mt Sainai, he aske the Lord what His name was. The response given to Moses was simply "I AM THAT I AM", or in some translations "I Am The Existing One" or "The One Who Is". Everywhere the word "LORD" (spelled in all caps at least in the KJV) is found in the Old Testament in reference to God, it is used as a substitute for the name which God spoke to Moses because the name itself was too holy to be spoken among the Jews. In the Old Testament, it was "the Lord God" Who "made the earth and the heavens" and "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." and that there is none else beside Him. In the Psalms He is the One Who forgives iniquities, heals diseases, and redeems your life from destruction, but He is also the One Who "shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.".

In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed as the Lord of both the living and the dead and blesses the apostle Thomas for proclaiming Him to be "my Lord and my God".

What does this mean to us? We are to repent towards God and put our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We must confess alongside Thomas that Jesus is our Lord and our God. We are to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. It is only proper that we should worship and bow down as we kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people if His pasture. We are to do everything that we do heartily as to the Lord and not men. We are also commanded to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,and with all thy mind". Because mankind is made in the image and likeness of God, we are to "love thy neighbour as thyself" as a reflection of our love for God in Whose image our neighbor is made. It is also in loving that we find fulfillment in being made in the image of our God Who is Himself love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ forgive me for all my failures to love God, love neighbor, and to serve Him in fear and rejoice in Him with trembling.

1 comment:

  1. Just for the sake of clarity I am a Protestant seeking His understanding and the fundamental Truth. This post speaks True to me and I thank you for posting. May our Lord bless you and your words to reach others in His name and for His glory. Peace and Grace to you Sir, in this lifetime and the next.

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