Jesus desires to rule in our lives, not to just sit and watch
us live our lives, but to be actively involved in our moment-
by-moment decision making. To be our Leader and Guide,..
to empower us, to guide us through troubled waters.
On TV recently, I saw a documentary about a
"Harbor Master" at a major U.S. Port.
Large ships come into this port many times a day.
A tug boat takes the Harbor Master out to the
in-coming vessel. The Harbor Master comes up
into the wheel house, taking the driver's seat of that new
vessel. He “takes over” as Captain of that incoming
vessel. The ship's Captain must STEP ASIDE. He
must turn over the controls to the Harbor Master, to
that stranger,.. and trust the Harbor Master to take care
of his vessel!
The Harbor Master is familiar with the waters
within his port. He knows where the low spots are. He can
NOT have "untrained" Captains coming into HIS port,
and running into other ships or closing down HIS port.
So, if you want to get safely into port,.. if you want it
done quickly and efficiently,.. if you want it done better
than YOU could ever do it,.. you must give it up, you
must surrender your vessel to the Harbor Master!
He (and ONLY He) can do the job!
Is Jesus My Savior? I know He is! Is He also
my Lord and Master? I made Him Lord! I gave Him
my seat,.. gave Him the controls,.. because only He can
guide me safely into Port. He's the ONLY one who has
ever successfully lived for God. You can't do it on your
own. Jesus must do it. Because only He can!
Jesus doesn't need our help. We can't help Jesus, to
make us better Christians. He must take over the controls.
Our job is to yield,.. to step down,.. to Make Him Master,
to trust Him to do what He needs to do,.. in us and through us!
The story of David and Saul is classic,.. it was a
unique situation in the History of Israel. No other time
where there TWO kings within Israel,.. both anointed
to be King,.. and neither of them sitting on the throne!
Saul had been rejected as King, because he had
assumed too much. Rather than wait for the prophet,
to lead the service (to worship), Saul takes it upon
himself to do the evening sacrifice! This was NOT
what the King did! This was unheard of! You just
didn't do that!
The prophet arrives and lets Saul know He is
OUT as King. Saul is sad, and repents, but it's no
use. God has cut him off from being king. The prophet
sets out to choose a new king, and God sends him to the
house of Jesse,.. and He anoints David as the new king.
In the following months, while Saul is still alive
and ruling,.. David (the New King) comes in to play the
harp for Saul,( the Old King) to soothe his sorrowful spirit.
Is Jesus (the New King) within our lives ONLY to
soothe our Spirits,.. or is Jesus there to Rule within our lives?
Things go from bad to worse,.. Saul ends up hunting
for David to Kill Him! (As if killing God's chosen New
King would be the answer to his problems!)
Saul hunts for David,.. while David is looking for
hiding places in caves, etc. to keep out of Saul's sight,..
to stay alive! This occupies both men,.. neither is ruling!
Nothing is going right!
David one day finds himself within inches of Saul,
and could have taken his life, two different times, but David
believes "this is the chosen one of the Lord,.. I will not kill
the Lord's anointed." (The Younger David shows more
maturity than the Older Saul!) David runs to save his life.
Saul pursues. Not a good picture.
Both men,.. and the nation,.. was suffering during this time.
"Someone needs to die." One needed to die,.. so the King,..
the rightful king, could rule.
Death finally happens. Saul is trapped,.. and falls
on his sword, taking his own life. Gives up His Life,.. finally,..
so that David can finally rule!
Death is our lot. "Take up your cross"... we need to die.
Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ,.. yet I live, but not I,..
Christ lives within me." (Gal. 2:20)
However you wish to look at it,.. we need to GIVE UP
OUR SEAT to The Great Harbor Master.
We need to die to self,.. "Deny self,.. take up
your cross.." Luke 9:23 We must step aside,.. we must yield,..
we must surrender, and give up our throne to Jesus.
How do I die? How do I yield? It's another step on
the road of faith. Trust. Will I trust Jesus to live through my body?
Romans 12:1 - "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice."
Why does God need our bodies? He needs a place to reside,..
a body to live within,.. to move within,.. to touch people through
our bodies. A phrase I used to hear often,.. (10 – 2 letter words:)
“If it is to be,.. it is up to me.”
But, truthfully,.. it should be more correctly read:
"If it is to be, it is up to He!"
Just as there were TWO separate areas within the Old Jewish
Temple, (1) The Holy Place and (2) The Holy of Holies,.. so
we must not only (1) Take Jesus as Savior (and enter into the
first area of the Temple) and
(2) Enter into the Presence of God, Behind the Second
Curtain, and Give God total control of our lives, as Lord and
Master! Many Christians have entered into that first area of the
Temple. They have invited Jesus into their Hearts and Lives.
But, many have failed to enter in Beyond that Second
Curtain! We somehow think we must "do this on our own"... to
live pretty much just as before, besides going to Church, and do
some praying and reading the Bible, with Jesus there to help us.
What we don't seem to realize why we have no power in
prayer,.. why it seems our prayers don't bring results! We can't
figure out why our lives aren't any better. We can't figure out why
we can't control our habits & behaviors. We even wonder if
God/Jesus is really there inside of us! We don't have peace,
just more questions. God seems distant and uninterested.
We can't figure out what is wrong with us!
God/Jesus is not there to "help us over the rough spots."
He is there to "Live Again through our bodies." God wanted
to be "close,.. near" to his creation. He walked in the Garden
with Adam. He spoke to Abraham. He showed Moses more of
Himself than to any others! He knocked Paul off his donkey
and blinded him, to get his attention. He wants a deep, personal,
intimate relationship with us.
Sadly, many Christians don't experience that deeper
relationship which is available, probably because they are still
afraid of God. They don't completely believe that God could
really Love them,.. that God could completely forgive ALL
of their sins! If we are fearful,.. that there is still something
between us,.. afraid that there is still things in our lives that
displease Him, and because of that, we avoid Him,.. we don't
talk to him very often,.. we don't get into The Bible very often,
because we fail to understand His Word,.. and it just reminds
us of our many failings!
The answer is to Believe,... Believe that we truly are forgiven,..
that He truly does love us, and desires to talk with us,.. and
desires that we yield to Him,.. to trust him to strengthen us,..
to empower us,.. to live and work through us!
The Galatians had this same problem,.. they had believed in
Jesus, but, were still trying to please God (keep the laws) in
the strength of their own flesh,.. their own will power. Paul
says, "Foolish Galatians,.. you began by faith in God to save
you,.. now you are trying to finish in the power of your own
flesh?" We started in faith,.. we must continue in faith.
Continue to Believe,.. continue to trust Him to work in us
and through us,.. continue to believe that He desires to
connect with us,.. to connect with me! I am valuable. I am
special. He loves me! He wants to walk and talk with me,..
He wants to bless me, and strengthen me, and live through me!
God is in the business of Glorifying Himself,.. getting
all the Glory,.. all the credit,.. to uplifting HIS name. That can't
be done, if we are doing things in the power of our own human
nature and will. It has to be done by HIS strength,..
it has to be HIS way,.. and for HIS Glory!
