Philippians 2:9-11; Every Knew Will Bow

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

As I have mentioned before, anytime you see the word “therefore”, you need to ask, “What is it there for?”  “Therefore” means that what is about to be said is directly related to what was said previously.  So in this case, God exalted Jesus to the highest place because Jesus humbly obeyed God.  Which teaches us an awesome truth: God rewards faithful service to Him.  And His rewards are much greater than our sacrifices in His name: you cannot out-give God!

The following are two things that will happen one day:

-          Every knee will bow, in heaven, earth, and under the earth

-          Every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord

Don’t you look forward to that day?  I cannot comprehend how awesome it will be when EVERYONE – the jihadist Muslim, the angry atheist, the Buddhist, the nature worshiper, politicians, movie stars, hipsters, you name it – bows and confesses that Jesus is Lord.  What a day!  That day is coming, it is a rock solid guarantee.

Since we know that WILL happen, there is only one thing to decide: will you bow down and confess joyfully with thanksgiving, or like a defeated enemy?  How about your roommates, your friends, your family, the guy who drives your shuttle bus, the gal who serves your coffee?  One of our main purposes on earth is to bring as many people to Jesus as we can…that is something I so often forget.

We will all acknowledge that Jesus is Lord one day, but whether that confession brings joy or terror depends upon your belief and submission to Him today.  Faithfulness today brings joy eternal in days to come!