He is Lord...or is He?

"Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3)

This verse has always intrigued me. The first part of it makes perfect sense. I mean..who would think of calling Jesus accursed especially if they were speaking by the Spirit of God? But the second part of the verse is what grabs my attention. "NO ONE can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." Hmmm...

There are three guiding principles that we can see when considering the work of the Holy Spirit in this verse:
1) The principle of conscious control
2) The principle that Christ is glorified
3) The principle of faith (the main work of the Spirit is to bring people under the Lordship of Christ)

Without a doubt...Jesus is Lord! The words written in red in the picture above state "It is finished!" When Jesus finished the work of salvation on the cross, He cried out with a loud voice. The atonement for man's sin was complete. After crying out he died, was buried, but on the third day rose again. He is Lord over death, hell, and the grave. When we accept Him as our Savior, He becomes Lord over us as well.

Or is He?

If you were to talk to most marriage counselors today, you will find that there are various reasons for couples to get into trouble. "We fell out of love" "We can't get along" "We're always fighting about money" Regardless of the reason for a couple to be in counseling, all the trouble comes from one common denominator: Jesus isn't Lord. Not only is this true for married couples - it's true for each and every one of us.

Let me explain. The Lordship of Christ should affect EVERY area of my life. It should affect my relationship with my spouse, child, family, and friends. It should be seen in my work and in my recreation. His Lordship is good for Sunday and the rest of the days in the week. We must stop looking at certain segments of our life and think: "Well...I'm not a very good ______________." Why not be real about it and say instead: "I need to submit to the Lordship of Jesus in this area."

This is something that the LORD has been speaking to my heart. Is Jesus Lord of every area? Every relationship? Every circumstance? Trust me when I say that when we make Jesus Lord in this way, it changes everything!

Take time today and ask yourself some questions. Line up every area of your life with the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Then watch Jesus make a difference in your marriage...in your family...in YOU!