LifeLink Devotional for Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The challenge I am putting out to us in this series of devotionals is to live out the command of Colossians 3:17, which says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  

By now you are starting to memorize the acrostic for the NAME of Jesus.

Nature – Attributes – Mission – Exaltation

Living life in the name of the Lord Jesus begins with an understanding of the nature of Jesus. Who is He, and how does the knowledge of Him change me? What are the practical implications of living with the knowledge of the nature of Jesus?

First, Jesus is God. He is not a god. He is THE GOD. What a marvelous pronouncement of this truth we find in Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

Why does this matter? Because if Jesus were simply a god, then we would have the right to abandon Him for any other god of our choosing. We would even go so far as to declare ourselves a god. Unless we accept and act upon the truth that Jesus is God, we will live our lives according to our own desires. We will be completely self-centered and seek self-fulfillment. Our decisions will be based on obedience to the flesh. Our actions will be the result of seeking immediate gratification. We will become our own god, when the first commandment of God to the human race states, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

This directly leads to the second aspect of the nature of Jesus – His sovereignty. If we do not accept that Jesus is God, then we will not accept that He is Lord. We will strive for control of our lives and the lives of others, rather than surrender all control to Him. We will cease to be people of faith and become people of fear.

Fear develops when we believe we are in control of outcomes. Faith is victorious over fear because it trusts the outcome to the One who is ultimately in control. Faith is patient and waits for God’s outcomes, while fear attempts to manipulate results. Faith brings peace that surpasses all human reason. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This peace is only possible if we truly believe that Jesus is in control and surrender to His control in all areas of our lives.

Pastor John