Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Every Knee Will Bow

"When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." Exodus 7:5 (NLT).

Teaching the truth of God's word to an unbelieving world is a hard thing to do. In the biblical story found in Exodus, God sends His servant, Moses, to free the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.

Egypt does not know Jehovah God, and therefore sets up it's own idols of worship. Pharaoh even ventures to ask Moses, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him...?" (Exodus 5:2).

When people, in pride, look to their own strength, or to gods other they the one true God, God's intention is to humble them and cause them to look to Him, whether they want to or not. When His judgments thunder over their heads, darken their skies, destroy their harvests, and slay their firstborn sons, they begin to catch a glimpse of Jehovah God's power.

God allows such things to happen in the earth so as to bring skeptics to their knees. We don't need to be worried about the hardness of mankind's hearts in rejecting God and His ways, for the LORD can take care of His own name, and He will do so with great power and effectiveness.

The salvation of His own people was another potent means of making Egypt know that the God of Israel was Jehovah, the living and true God. No Israelite died by any one of the ten plagues. None of His chosen people were drowned in the Red Sea.

The day will come when the salvation of God's people (the church), and the glorification of all true believers will make even the most obstinate of God's enemies acknowledge that Jehovah, is the one true God.

Romans 14:11 it says, "As surely as I live," says the LORD, "Every knee will bow before me; and every tongue will confess to God."

We also read in Philippians 2:10, "Therefore God exalted him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Just as we sing in that wonderful song, "Come, now is the Time to Worship,"
One day every tongue will confess you are God,
One day every knee will bow!
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
who gladly choose you now.

The day is coming when believer and unbeliever; Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Atheist will all bow their knee to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is God and there is no other. Those who refuse to submit to him now will one day regret that decision when they finally discover they he is undeniably the Lord of Hosts, the King of kings, and the LORD of lords.
They will suffer great loss as they bow their knees. But believers will be saved, and be rejoicing in his presence and worshiping his holy name.

Pray today that revival will sweep across this land saving thousands, millions, and even billions of souls for all eternity. May the convicting power of the Holy Spirit go forth through the teaching, preaching and encouraging word of His people. May more and more discover the joy of bowing their knees to Jesus as LORD today, rather than the shame and suffering they will feel when bowing to Him when it is too late.

Praying for mankind together,
Roger