Today at church, Pastor Lon ended with this quote and a challenge to us, to examine our lives and ask ourselves tough questions about who is really in charge.
Jesus is either Lord of All or he is not Lord at all.
Hmmmm. That’s deep. Is Jesus truly Lord of ALL of me? I think so, but there are definitely some areas of my life that I am the boss of, and I like it that way.
“I’ve got this one God… I don’t need your help , it’s a no-brainer.”
“I should be praying about this decision, but it feels like the right thing so I am going to trust my heart on this one.”
“I know I can do this, I don’t need to stop and pray.”
“I have enough experience in this area of life, its time to take of the training wheels and let me skin my knees a little.”
These are things I’ve told God and myself alot lately. But somewhere deep inside I knew I was walking a dangerous line. How tempting it is to give into this self righteousness. Especially when experience and age give us a false sense of “having it all together.”
During a time of personal prayer and mediation this weekend, the Lord led me to this passage:
Isaiah 57:15
For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
So then I got to thinking about what it means to be contrite. This is a “Sunday School” word, one I think I know the meaning of but probably really don’t. After a quick lexicon search of the original Hebrew, I discovered a couple of things worth thinking through:
Dakka = Contrite. Meaning: those who are crushed. Dust.
Other variations of contrite revealed a similar meaning: Hithpael: to allow one’s self to be crushed.
I also checked Webster’s: Contrite: Feeling regret and sorrow for one’s sins. Latin: to crush or to grind.
Am I crushed over my sins? Do I allow myself to dwell on God’s holiness long enough to experience part of his glory and allow my will to be crushed for the sake of Him? Will I, in self righteous pride, say to my creator: “Thanks, but I can take it from here. You’ve brought me this far, and now I want to put some of my own plans in action.” Or will I submit my human will to the Spirit of Christ within me, and in the shadow of the Cross pray, “not My will, Father, but YOURs.”
Isaiah 66:2
Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Oh Lord, I pray that I may be found to have a contrite heart in all things, and give you complete authority over every area of my life!!!
annielauriewalters.com 
Awesome blog…Brian is still “Not the boss of me”!!
These are thoughts that I have pondered so often lately too…
I have also been challenged lately to ask myself, “Do I love the Lord more than anything else in this world?” And while I might think that I love the Lord most of all, when I really stop and think of everything that I love… I find that I probably do not TRULY love him more than my family. Love him more than “things”???… yes, I can say that I would give up everything that I have for my Lord. But when you start talking about my children, for instance…. I am not so sure. And that is a humbling and shameful thought for someone who claims that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life.
I have also been thinking lately about the idea of “Lordship”. Is “Lordship” necessary for salvation? So many churches today have moved toward, what I call, “Easy-Believism”. “Believe that Jesus died on the cross, ask him to come into your heart… and BAM you are saved”. I actually attended a church that said this and COMPLETELY left out sin and repentance. So many people today have been fooled into thinking that if they believe that Jesus was the Son of God who died for the sins of the world that they are saved. Well, Satan believes all of that…. is he saved too? So, where does Christ actually being “LORD” of your life come in? Is it necessary to make him Lord of your life to have salvation? Can you just believe and have repentance (at the time) and then go on about your life, running it the way you please and be a true Christian?
It is Christmastime and I read of Simeon and of Anna, the prophetess, who devoted their ENTIRE lives to God. These were two of the first people to see the Christ-child – Wow… what an honor that would be!! Anna became a widow after 7 years of marriage and instead of re-marrying and carrying on with a Godly life, she stayed in the temple day and night serving God with everything she had. THAT is love for your God. I think that so many of us go about our day to day lives – good, and maybe even “Godly” lives – and never consider the question, “Am I TRULY, TOTALLY devoted to my Lord?… Does He have ALL of me?”