Jesus’ question in Luke 6:46 clearly implies His desire for us to do what He says and instructs, but why should we? Outside of fulfilling a sense of religious duty, what do we get out of it, why should we serve Jesus as Lord? And if there is a benefit from serving Jesus as Lord why don’t most Christians do so?

“…I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). I am the Good Shepherd, The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.” John 10:10b, 11 [Amp]

A Good (or Worthy) Shepherd will wisely lead his sheep to the best place to rest safely, a place where there’s food and water and He will faithfully serve His Master. So what is God’s (Jesus’ Master) desire for us?

“Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!” Luke 12:32 [Amp] The Kingdom that God desires to give us is that of authority and power in order to exercise control and to have dominion over any and every situation or circumstance that we EVER WILL face (1 Corinthians 4:20 and Matthew 16:19).

Therefore, the benefits of serving Jesus as Lord are:

· We are kept safe

· We have both power and authority

· We find rest (peace)

· And our every need is met

So, I ask again, if the benefits of serving Jesus as Lord is to live a life of abundance, then do so few Christian enjoy the benefits (or are even aware that there ARE benefits) of serving Jesus as LORD? Well, we find the answer in the part “a” of John 10:10, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy…” [Amp] We are in a spiritual battle,

“For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.” Ephesians 6:12 [Amp]

So many mistakenly believe that the “true Christian life” is suppose to be easy and stress free and since there’s no way that someone “like them” could live such a “perfect life”, why even try, this is a lie from the pit of Hell. The Bible tells us that we are more than conquers; we are given armor and a sword, this means that we are going to have someone and/or something to fight. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, in so many, many, many different ways, we are the adversary. We end up fighting with and against ourselves. Yes, Satan is THE enemy, but with “deception” as a key weapon, he tricks many of us into becoming our own worst enemy.

So, knowing this, what do we do on a daily and continuous basis to make these Bible promises real? How do we get them out of the book and into our lives? I’m glad you asked. Meet me in Part 3 of Choosing Jesus as LORD.

Pastor Michael Larkins is the Author of “Victorious Nuggets – Transforming Self-Esteem into Christ-Esteem.

For more of his blogs go to his web site www.thewealthresponse.com