Day 3: Lord of all
“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all… We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen… All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” (Acts 10:36, 39-40, 43).
O LORD God, help us now really to worship Thee. We would thank Thee for this occasion. We bless Thy name for setting apart this hallowed season. Lord, wilt Thou shut the door upon the world for us? Help us to forget our cares. Enable us to rise clean out of this world. May we get rid of all its down-dragging tendencies. May the attractions of these grossest things be gone and do Thou catch us away to Thyself.
We do not ask to be entranced nor to see an angel in shining apparel, but we do ask that by faith we may see Jesus and may His presence be so evidently realized among us that we may rejoice as well as if our eyes beheld Him, and love Him and trust Him and worship Him as earnestly as we should do if we could now put our fingers into the print of the nails.
O, Thou precious Lord Jesus Christ, we do adore Thee with all our hearts. Thou art Lord of all. We bless Thee for becoming man that Thou mightest be our next of kin, and being next of kin, we bless Thee for taking us into marriage union with Thyself and for redeeming us and our inheritance from the captivity into which we were sold.
Thou hast paid Thy life for Thy people. Thou hast ransomed Thy folk with Thy heart's blood. Be Thou, therefore, forever beloved and adored. And now Thou art not here for Thou art risen. Our souls would track the shining way by which Thou hast ascended through the gate of pearl up to Thy Father's throne.
We seem to see Thee sitting there, man, yet God, reigning over all things for Thy people and our ears almost catch the accents of the everlasting song which rolls up at Thy feet, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive honor, and power, and glory, and dominion, and might forever and ever." Lord, we say, "Amen."
From the outskirts of the crowd that surround Thy throne, we lift up our feeble voices in earnest "Amens," for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood and hast made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign with Thee, for though far off by space, we know that we are very near to Thy heart.
~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ~ 1834 -1892
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