“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
We’ve all seen it happen from time to time: Someone with great potential, with all of the qualities and attitudes to be successful … only to see them fall miserably short … because they didn’t act on what they had been given.
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been!’” –John Greenleaf Whittier
Mankind continues to have a curious fascination and almost insatiable thirst for knowledge about the future. If only the curious and the fascinated could be as interested in the future of life after this life is over!
In the context of Philippians 2, the beloved apostle Paul holds up for the brethren then and it has been preserved for us today, that we understand what real life and living is all about. It’s about service … service to God and to others. The example of Jesus Christ is THE premier example for imitation.
Jesus was willing to leave the joy and pleasure of heaven to meet our greatest need, to offer His blood on the Cross as the only perfect sacrifice that could atone for the sins of mankind! What a Savior we have in Jesus Christ!
With their eyes wide open and their ears hearing clearly, those who nailed Him to the Cross possessed hearts that would not believe … would not grasp that a carpenter’s son could be and is the King of kings!
Our text says the day will come, along with other passages including 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, when the clouds will in fact part … when every doubt will be erased … when every eye will see that He was and is the Son of God! Oh yes, He is coming again in awesome majesty!
And when He comes … well … then every tongue will at last confess Him!
Make no mistake … to confess Him now and surrender to His Lordship and obey His will and accepting His grace and mercy …to bow before Him now … means salvation!
To refuse to confess Him now and surrender to His Lordship and obey His will by accepting His grace and mercy … to finally bow before Him at the judgment … means condemnation!
So … as we live today may we realize that God doesn’t want any of us to be lost, but rather to enjoy the salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ! In the middle of trials, when our burdens seem to be so heavy we are not sure we can take another step … when our hearts are truly bowed down low … may we encourage each other with the truth that Jesus is coming back to claim His own!
“Lord, come quickly!” (Revelation 22:20)
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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