THE PRINCE OF PEACE

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”   (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

I am the Prince of Peace. As I said to My disciples, I say also to you: Peace be with you. Since I am your constant Companion, My Peace is steadfastly with you. When you keep your focus on Me, you experience both My Presence and My Peace. Worship Me as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace.

You need My Peace each moment to accomplish My purposes in your life. Sometimes you are tempted to take shortcuts, in order to reach your goal as quickly as possible. But if the shortcut requires turning your back on My peaceful Presence, you must choose the longer route. Walk with Me along paths of Peace; enjoy the journey in My Presence. 

-- From “Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence” by Sarah Young 

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LOYALTY TO KING JESUS

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'" (John 18:37)

We have two kinds of kings in this world. The first is the parliamentary monarch, such as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. As the object of great reverence, she was encircled by grandeur and gilded with tradition. In terms of real power, however, she had little; her opinions were heard with politeness and patience, but her office was primarily ceremonial. The British prime minister holds the reins of government.

The other kind of king is the absolute monarch whose office is both ceremonially impressive and politically powerful. He is head of state, he leads the nation, and his authority is supreme.

Many Christians treat Jesus like a parliamentary king. Once a week -- if it's convenient! -- they hold court with Him and make Him the object of great reverence. He is heard with politeness and patience, but in terms of daily life He has little influence.

Our Lord is an absolute monarch. He would rather have one person who is 100 percent committed to Him than a hundred people who are 80% committed. John Wesley said, “if I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.”

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

-- Adapted from Robert J. Morgan in “He Shall Be Called”

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WHEN JESUS IS LORD

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”  (1 Corinthians 8:5-6 NIV)

Make no mistake: if Jesus is not Lord of our lives, someone or something else will be. Jesus taught, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV) By the same token, you cannot serve God and politics. You cannot serve God and sex. You cannot serve God and work.  Yes, you can participate in politics, you can have a healthy and righteous sex life, and you can strive to succeed at work. Only one, though, may truly have dominion over your life… You can only have one highest priority. You can only have one lord, and of the many lords from which we may choose, only Jesus brings us true peace, a heart in line with God’s heart, and eternal life.

For Jesus to be Lord of our lives, we must offer Him three things: our obedience, our trust, and our love. Anything less, and we are denying Him His rightful place as Lord. 

-- David Watson in “A Firm Foundation”

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THE WISE MEN WORSHIPED HIM

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’… And behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  (Excerpts from Matthew 2 NKJV)

In the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords we can do nothing less than stand in awe and praise at His majesty and bow before Him in worship.  The glory of the Lord cannot be compared.  It cannot be fathomed.  It is higher, more awesome, more wonderful, more majestic than anything we can comprehend with our finite mind and limited senses.  The glory of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.

-- From “God Will Make a Way… Stories of Hope”


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JESUS CHRIST IS LORD

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:9-11 NIV)

William Barclay has pointed out that “of all the titles of Jesus the title ‘Lord’ became by far the most commonly used, widespread, and theologically important. It would hardly be going too far to say that the word Lord became a synonym for the name, Jesus.” This sometimes neglected aspect of the Christian experience must be carefully considered by all men and women who want to be His disciples…

Jesus Christ, Lord of lords, has always existed and always will. Not all people allow Him to be center of their lives, but that does not alter the fact of His lordship. All will someday acknowledge Christ as Lord, but the privilege of acknowledging His lordship and allowing Him to be center of our lives is possible now. Allow Christ to be Lord of your life -- by a decision followed by daily practice.

-- from “Growing Strong in God’s Family”

#4698

GOD IS ABLE

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6)

God is alive and active, able to do what we ask. God hears and answers prayer, as our true friend. God is able to do what we imagine. He reads our thoughts and can interpret the thoughts and feelings we cannot express as we cry out to Him in distress. God is able to do all that we ask or think. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He knows everything and can complete the work He started in us.

“Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

-- James Houston, quoted in “In This Quiet Place: Discovering the Pleasure of Prayer”


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