Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 4 May 2021 By Ellel Ministries Australia
The Highest Place
by Liz Griffin
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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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:11, ESV
Seeds of the Kingdom Devotional 4 May 2021 By Ellel Ministries
We once had a group of Jehovah Witnesses come into our home to discuss the Christian faith and look at Scripture. They have many of their own interpretations of the Bible, but what they believe is not truly in line with what it says. An important difference we had with them was over who Jesus is. After they had gone, I prepared some scriptures which clearly show that Jesus is God for the next time they came back. But they didn’t come back again. The disciples of Jesus came to understand that Jesus was God and one of the clearest statements came from Thomas. He was privileged to see the risen Lord Jesus.
Jesus invited him to see His hands which had been pierced by the nails and put his hand into His side, which had been pierced with a spear from a Roman soldier. He immediately confessed Jesus as Lord and God. ‘Thomas said to Him, “My Lord and my God’ (John 20:28). Jesus said that Thomas now believed the truth because he had seen the evidence for himself, but all those who would come to believe without seeing Jesus physically would be blessed. That means you and me. We are blessed.
We can bow the knee and acknowledge (confess) Jesus is Lord. He is the mighty King of the universe, the supreme authority figure, yet He is loving, kind and gentle. Therefore, we can safely trust Him with our entire lives. I love the words in a verse from the old hymn ‘At the name of Jesus’. ‘In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue all that is not holy, all that is not true. Crown Him as your captain in temptation’s hour; let His will enfold you in its light and power’.
Giving Jesus the highest place in our lives means we will always try to do our best to please Him and obey His will. Thomas called Him ‘my Lord’ and that means being in a close personal relationship. At the last supper, during Passover, Jesus shocked Peter by washing the feet of His disciples. Jesus explained Peter needed to accept having his feet washed or he would not belong to Jesus. He wouldn’t be in close relationship with Him.
It was to be a most powerful lesson for them all. They would now understand that a leader in God’s Kingdom needs to be a humble servant. ‘When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you”’ (John 13:12-15). The reason God exalted Jesus to the highest place was that Jesus humbled
Himself by ‘becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:8). He sacrificed His life on the cross for us all that we could find salvation and forgiveness of our sins, and that we could have eternal life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to bow my knee to You and acknowledge You as my Lord and my King. I want You to be Lord of my whole life, of my spirit, soul and body, of how I worship You, of all my thoughts, all my emotions and how I express them, the choices I make each day, all my relationships, my time, my money and material possessions. I choose to place into Your hands my fears and anxieties and trust You will always be with me, whatever happens and wherever I go. Please wash me and make me clean in Your eyes. Amen.
Liz Griffin lived for 20 years as an expatriate in South Africa, Bahrain and Japan, as her husband Paul worked for an international oil company. Paul and Liz became involved with Ellel Ministries in 1991 as part of the ministry team and joined the full-time team at Ellel Grange in 1995. Paul and Liz teach and minister to those seeking healing in their lives and together have written two books, ‘Anger – How Do You Handle It’ and ‘Hope and Healing For The Abused’.
