January 13 I Friday

Genesis 31-32

Matthew 9:18-38

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”    —Romans 10:9

When I first became a Christian, I thought there were different versions of the Christian life. There was the Christian Basic, which was when one comes to know Christ as their Saviour. The benefits were that one’s sins were forgiven and one was going to heaven after death. Then there was the Christian Elite, when Christ was not just Saviour—that is the Basic version—but also Lord, where one brings one’s life under His authority. In other words, one looks to Christ to guide and to lead. The only problem with this version is, if one is not careful, one may end up being a missionary.

       As time went on, I came to understand that is not what the New Testament teaches us. Although it tells us about 24 times that Jesus Christ is Saviour, there are over 600 accounts where Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Saviour because He is Lord; He saves us because He comes to take over, occupy and rule our lives. We cannot compartmentalize Christ and only have Him as our personal Saviour and not acknowledge His lordship.

       For example, if I was to introduce my wife, I would not say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like you to meet my cook.” When I got married, I did not just stand in front of a group of people and say, “I now take you to be my lawfully wedded cook.” I took her to be my lawfully wedded wife, which means so much more than any role she will fulfil in our life together. Similarly, Jesus does not become our Saviour any more than my wife became my cook—that would be an insult. When we come to Jesus Christ, we are coming into a relationship with somebody who is Lord, who saved us, who cares for us, who guides us and who leads us.

1. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on… But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of…You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

       May we recognize that Jesus Christ is not just our Saviour but also the Lord over our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for saving me from sin and death. I acknowledge that You are the Lord over my life. Come have Your way with me. Amen!