Dwight Fletcher | Jesus is the Lord of all

I HAVE been praying earnestly for Jamaica and for you over the past two weeks. The road to recovery may look long and hard, but my encouragement is that Jesus Christ is Lord over His creation.

This may sound like trite words when there is so much to be done, but don’t miss the reality of this message. Pause for a moment and consider that God came in flesh to the world He created, and He walked on water, cursed the fig tree, multiplied the loaves and fish, calmed the raging sea and much more. He did it to show us that the realm of Christ’s reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on earth.

And it is to our advantage that He rules and reigns. The Lord Jesus Christ holds everything together, and we receive the benefit. Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

We have an enemy that wants to destroy us. We’ve seen that destruction and despair time and again in our lives, but Lamentations 3:22 (NIV) informs us that it is “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed…” Jesus is our saving grace.

It is Jesus that holds it all together (Colossians 1:17 NLT). We are alive today because Jesus Christ is Lord. We are blessed because He is Lord. We have the ability to work and to help others in need because He is Lord. We can enjoy life and endure hardship because He is Lord. We are set free from hopelessness and death because Jesus Christ is Lord. This is good news!

IS JESUS IS REALLY LORD?

However, when you consider the suffering in the world today, you may ask: If Jesus is really Lord, why does He allow evil to happen?

I’m glad that you asked. God is not afraid of your questions, and He invites you to wrestle with that. I suggest getting quiet before the Lord and giving Him the opportunity to address that concern in your heart. But can I also help to reframe your priorities?

Have you ever stopped to consider that you only have a perspective on evil because God has been so good to you? Matthew 5:45 (NIV) says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Before you even knew Him, and without loving Him, He has committed Himself to doing good to you. While we might never fully understand suffering, is He not worthy of our trust because of His goodness throughout our lives?

The storms in our lives also remind us that nothing is guaranteed. We have no control over what tomorrow will bring. So, if you have never done so before, I invite you to make Jesus Lord of your life today. Take Jesus at His Word; believe Him. But don’t stay there. James tells us that even the demons believe and tremble, so it is not enough to merely believe that He is God; you also need to receive Him as your Lord and Saviour. Jesus gives us the choice to accept Him as Lord, or to reject Him totally. There is no in-between. There is no compromise. He is either Lord of all your life or not your Lord at all.