Day 3: Either He's Lord of All or He's Not Lord at All — The Names of God
Either He's Lord of All or He's Not Lord at All
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
In Deuteronomy 10, God had begun to fulfill His promise to Abraham, which we covered yesterday. If you missed it, just go back a page. God reveals Himself again to Israel, and to us, in a name. This time, the name is Lord or Adonai. The Old Testament uses this name for God around 300 times. In the Old Testament, the name Adonai is almost always plural, which points to the reality of the Trinity. The New Testament uses it hundreds of times too, especially to describe Jesus Christ.
God is the Creator and Provider. He is also the Lord, the boss and master of all creation. He is patient, kind, and loving. He is powerful, holy, and commands worship.
The early Christians were commanded to worship Caesar by saying “Caesar is Lord.” They refused, and some lost their jobs, some were burned at the stake, and some were thrown into the Colosseum with lions. Why did they refuse? Because Jesus Christ demands and deserves total allegiance. We can't put anyone else above Him, because He is the only one worthy of worship. He has the keys of life and death. And, one day, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Live your life for the Lord today! He alone is worthy!
God, I worship you as Adonai, my Lord today. I humbly submit to Your rule and reign in my life. I love you and want to follow you, so point out anything in my life that I've put ahead of You. Help me put You first place in it all today. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
