September 4
Bible Reading: Philippians 2
Philippians 2:9-11, “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.”
The campaign for the upcoming presidential election is under way. Roll out the political ads, yard signs, debates, and endless appeals for funds. As divided as our country now is, be prepared for lots of name calling and finger pointing. In preparing for the election, do your research. Then vote for those God-fearing folks who possess humility, integrity, compassion and wisdom. Our country surely needs some of that, if it’s not too late to reverse the tide of all the ills which have befallen us. There’s never been a time in America like that in which we now live—unprecedented lawlessness, corruption and injustice! Illegal drugs and suspicious folks pour across our southern border. Our economy is a house of cards, with some even now warning of big troubles which lie ahead. Ongoing or pending wars add to the uncertainty. There is even the threat of possible nuclear conflict. Our country is in big trouble!
Yet on a positive note, this political season is a good time to remind ourselves of some important spiritual truths. We believers in Christ are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Like those men and women of faith before us, our hearts look to “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). Indeed, in that, we are a part of a “kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away, but in Jesus Christ we’ve an eternal King who will reign forevermore.
God is sovereign over the affairs of this world. As the hymn says, “Though the wrong, seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” He “works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11). Those earthly leaders who pridefully dismiss God’s relevance, gleefully wielding power, forget they are mere pawns on their Creator’s chessboard. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:4). It is God who captains this ship of history and there is no one and nothing which will deter, or deviate, it from arriving at its foreordained destiny.
And where is this ship headed? You know, earthly leaders are sometimes good and sometimes bad, yet none are perfect. They’ve come and gone over the course of history, here for a short while, none of them deserving of worship—though some have demanded it. There’s only One who is worthy of that and that’s the Lord Jesus Himself.
There will come a day when every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess Him to be Lord! In every realm of existence, they will—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—or as some have said the “celestial, terrestrial, and infernal.” It’ll matter not whether you be rich or poor or man or woman or young or old. It won’t matter if you are a president, or a CEO, or the wealthiest person on earth. There’ll be no election to decide the matter. It won’t matter if you are a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, or even to which nation you’ve belonged. In fact, it’ll matter not your tribe, or language, or people, or nation. There will come a day when you and every other person who has ever lived on this planet will bow the knee to Jesus Christ and confess Him to be Lord!
He is worthy! He is worthy because He created all things, including you. All things have been created by Him, through Him, and for Him (Colossians 1:16). He is worthy because of who He is—perfect in all His ways (Isaiah 9:6-7; Hebrews 7:26)! All wise, all loving, and all powerful! So great was His love for us, He left His Father’s throne above, and emptied Himself of all except love, to die upon a cross for our sins—that we would be saved (Philippians 2:5-8; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Timothy 1:15)!
One day, the long war against God will come to an end. The Lord Jesus has already triumphed through His death and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). And there will come a glorious day when He will return and “judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). On that day, all will be brought into complete submission to Him. You wonder where things are headed in this world? That is where!
Now, what does this mean to you? If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, then you’ve some soul searching to do. You will bow the knee to Jesus Christ one day. The question is, will you do that in adoration and gratitude as one of His own, or will you be compelled to bend a knee, as a vanquished foe (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)? Isaiah 45:22-23 speaks to this: “Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God and there is no other. I have sworn to Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back. That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.”
For those of us who know Jesus, it’s good to remind ourselves of these things. The One who once super humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, will be super exalted above all. There will come a day when you’ll be in a perfect place where righteousness dwells and you’ll worship a perfect leader, even the Lord Jesus who loved you and delivered Himself up for you! That will be glorious for you and for me! And that’s where our hope lies!
The day is fast approaching when every tongue will acknowledge Jesus as Lord above all! Every person has a question to answer: Will they acknowledge Jesus as Lord with adoration and gratitude, as one of His own, or be compelled to do so as a vanquished foe.
He is Lord He is Lord
He is risen from the dead
And He is Lord
Ev’ry knee shall bow
Ev’ry tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
LookingtoJesus 