Friday, September 27, 2024
"Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
Today's is a guest devotional.
"Do you find yourself shaking your head in frustration at the turbulent times we live in? Do you hear of the misdeeds of others spread all over the news and wonder how human beings can act so sinfully and ruthlessly? Do ever wonder how the name of Jesus Christ will ever be honored as it should?
"We can easily grow disheartened when we view the depravity and sin that surrounds us. Troubling events in our world may distress us, but there is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
"Christ humbled Himself to die on the cross. This is the reason that God exalted Him. God the Father exalted Jesus Christ, and He gave Jesus the name which is above every name. Jesus came as Savior but is exalted as Lord. God gave Him the name above all other names.
"There is coming a day when everyone who has ever lived and everyone who ever will live will bow their knee to the name of Jesus. There is coming a day when every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
"My question to you today is, 'Will you bow on that day with joy and gratitude to your Savior, or will you bow with regret for never having acknowledged Him as Lord?' If you fail to bow to Him now, one day it will be too late to bow to Him as your Savior.
"In Warren Wiersbe’s 'Meet Yourself in the Psalms,' he tells about a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon.
"The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea.
"'Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged.'
"We will all bow before Jesus Christ one day. Are you ready for that day?"
--Kevin A. Pierpont