Who is Lord Over Your Life?
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Who is Lord over your life? Where do you turn to for the final decision in many of life’s choices?
Is it fear? Do you look to ease the uneasy feeling in every situation, even if it means choosing what will provide a false sense of security?
Is it to please others? Do you live your life to earn the approval of your peers? Or are you comfortable standing up for what you believe is right, even if it means walking alone?
Or is it yourself? God gave us minds to use when making choices throughout life. However, do you look for your human understanding alone when you know God is calling you to leap of faith?
Whatever you consult as having the greatest say in the choices of your life is what has the most significant authority over your life.
Surely there is a drastic difference between saying God is lord and surrendering to Him as Lord over your life. The latter are words that acknowledge the truth. However, the former requires a response in the actions you take.
And this changes every area of our lives. It affects our prayer life. Rather than focusing on what we can get from God (though there is undoubtedly room to bring our requests to Him), our prayers look more like communication between two people in a relationship.
It also impacts how we read the Bible. If we desire to please other people or rely solely on what we like or dislike, it can become easy to filter the Bible through what we want or what culture dictates instead of what it truly says.
However, when we place ourselves under the authority of God, we find ourselves under the arms of protection and true love. And in this, we can still read the Bible and ask questions, studying in depth to understand what is really being communicated. But we do so in rest and surrender, knowing that we can talk to God about what we do not understand while seeking answers to our questions. And at the same time, we can trust His perfect goodness in the matter, which we will not have full clarity on this side of heaven and lean into the mystery for the time being.
Lastly, who is Lord over our lives also affects what other people see in our lives. Walking in a way that declares with your words and actions that Jesus is Lord over your life not only impacts your own life but those around you. The decisions you make and how you communicate the Bible are drastically different if you are the ultimate authority compared to God. If you are, then truth has become subjective, dependent only on our experience or understanding. Our opinions are frequently changing. Whereas when we are surrendered to the Holy Spirit, we become a vessel of His love and grace as we live within unchanging, objective truth. The fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated in our lives.
Undoubtedly, our relationship with God has a direct impact on our relationships with others.
It is important to note as well that perfection is not the mark of walking in a way that makes it clear that God is Lord over your life. We will never be perfect on this side of heaven. Rather, it is a response to who God truly is. He is our Creator, Father, and Sustainer, as He alone is worthy of whole-hearted surrender as the Maker of our souls.
Likewise, living a life surrendered to Christ does not mean that we will not have hardships in this life. God is honest with us and tells us that despite the troubles we will encounter, there is hope (John 16:33).
When Christ is Lord over our lives, there will not be the absence of trouble but the presence of peace in our lives.
As you go about your week, I pray that your relationship with Christ will be enriched and continue to grow as you ask yourself who is Lord over your life. Wherever you find yourself today, whether you have wandered and God is guiding you back to Himself or have never made the initial decision to accept Christ. Or perhaps you have a strong faith in Christ and follow Him, yet maybe there are areas of your life the Lord is beginning to nudge you toward a deeper surrender. My prayer is that you would be sensitive to His gentle leading and that you would find peace for our souls in the life of surrender.
Blessings,
