What kind of leader do you look for? Do you look for good looks and charm; someone who can give great speeches and really stir your heart? Or do you look for the strong, silent type, who, by his or her mere presence, brings confidence to everyone around them? Perhaps you look for character or action; someone with a take-charge attitude? It is interesting how each of us looks for something different in the men and women we choose as our leaders. However, I can tell you with no hesitation, not one of them can compare to our King.
Lord Jesus was worthy of worship before he volunteered for his Father's mission but considering what he accomplished on that mission, all praise is due him. Remember what the Father's goal was and what he accomplished through his son; what he accomplished for us:
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
That he did this for us, rescuing us from darkness and making us citizen's of Lord Jesus' Kingdom, is incredible but how he did it is a thing beyond legend. It has become our entranceway to God himself. Lord Jesus did not just come and boss things around or sign some papers or battle an epic battle as we know it. Jesus took on the enemy single-handed, and as leader he replaced all of us with himself and died for us. What general would do that for his troops? What president, prime minister, King or Queen would do that or has done that? Look at this mission again:
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:19-20)
The only reason we are citizens of the Kingdom, the children of God, a royal priesthood, the Body of Christ, is because of the blood of our King. Words cannot describe the awesomeness of our King and why praise and gratefulness should always be on the lips of his people. Read it again in this way and understand why we call him King:
"And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
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 2:8-11)
I am emphasizing this because we need to remember that Jesus is our King for a reason. He bought us, ransomed us, rescued us so that we could be his subjects. We belong to the King, our leader. He did not have to earn our adoration but he has because he did what no other leader could do for us. We do not just sing lovely songs to our King and see our duty fulfilled but we make it our purpose to obey every command and decree of our King, beyond simple obedience and obligation but instead because of the deeper obligation provoked by love.
If you resent the commands of our King, you do not know him. If you look for the loopholes in his commands, you do not love him. Our only response to our King is the response of love which is quick obedience. Like no other, Lord Jesus is worthy to lead and worthy to be followed, even to our death. There is no one like our King for it was through his blood that God reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth, or things in heaven. Amen!
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