life at 5

Life at 5am shouldn't really be any different from life at 9am, or at 1pm, or any other time. There is no time of the day when Christ's Lordship switches on or off. Nor is there an analogous time of life when Christ's Lordship switches on in life, since Christ is Lord of all for all time. I think that's why we use the words "accept Jesus" or "acknowledge Jesus" when we talk about conversion. It should be natural that belief in Jesus' death and resurrection and his authority over all things would lead you to the conclusion that "you" are included in "all things" and that your life void of the acknowledgement of His lorship and of the appropriate marks of this reality is really not getting you anywhere good. Jesus' lordship brings life, so where does that lead you if you're not living under Jesus' lordship?

I've been really challenged lately to know what it is to live under Christ's lordship as His disciple... there's much thought to be done about it, which is half of the point of the matter. It's a lifelong thing to think about and pray about and search out where Jesus is calling you to go and/or what He is calling you to do. But it's only half of the matter, because knowing where to go is utterly useless unless you go there, and therein lies the challenge.

So what am I doing up at 5am? Well I got thirsty, and thought I could use the time. It's now almost 7, and I've been flipping through e-Sword (the Sword of the LORD with an electronic edge - www.e-sword.org) and looking at all the references in the New Testament to Jesus being called Lord. One verse stood out to me: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord', and not do what I tell you?" (Luke 6:46, ESV). Obedience matters to this Lord of ours. The Bible is full of the fact that salvation is from God alone and that obedience must follow, and following in obedience is the essence of discipleship.

Much to ponder, and much to change.