Daily Devotional • Genesis 37:28

- Genesis 37:28

We will do anything to avoid submission.

There is something in our nature that despises authority.

Joseph had a dream(s)… in it, his brothers were subjected to him. They are not having it. Plotting his murder and then selling him into slavery, they think they are ridding themselves of Joseph's future reign and rule over their lives.

The way Jacob's sons respond often reflects how I feel about kingship.

I do not want a king; I want to be king.

This attitude often puts me at odds with King Jesus. Jesus can have His; I want MINE.

I fail to recognize that wherever there is a there, there Jesus reigns!

Wherever there is a that, Jesus reigns over that!

There is, as Abraham Kuyper wisely said, not one square inch of the entire universe over which Jesus does not declare, "MINE."

Jesus is Lord. All authority in heaven and on earth is His. His kingdom is forever; He shall reign forever and ever. He is bringing all things under subjection, to the glory of the Father.

What must a person do in order for Jesus Christ to be Lord of his life? Yield his life to Christ.

Jesus as Lord involves absolute and total surrender.

F. B. Meyer serves as a tremendous example. Myer was a Baptist preacher and pastor of Christ Church in the heart of London in the nineteenth century. Amid a successful ministry, F. B. Meyer confessed that something was lacking in his life and ministry. J.H. Jowett recounts the following story: "Dr. Meyer has told us that his early Christian life was marred and his ministry paralyzed just because he had kept back one thing from the bunch of keys he had given to the Lord. Every key… save one! The key of one room was kept for personal use, and the Lord shut out. The effect of the incomplete consecration was found in lack of power, lack of assurance, lack of joy, and peace.

The joy of the Lord begins when we hand over the last key.

We sit with Christ on His throne as soon as we have surrendered our crowns and made Him sole and only ruler of our life and its possessions."

F. B. Meyer experienced the lordship of Jesus Christ when he handed over the last key. Have you yielded keys to every room in your life? Is there a room marked "private — keep out?" If so, you must be willing to surrender that key to the Lord. Do so, sooner than later!

In humble submission,
Pastor Harp

Paper Sunday is blessed to collaborate with Chris Harper on today's devotional!

Chris Harper is a speaker, writer, and disciple-maker. Chris is President of 252Edu, a consulting firm based in Dallas, Texas. Chris serves schools, churches, and non-profits by helping them "grow in wisdom, favor and stature with God and man.”

When not taking ground for King Jesus, you can find Chris on the basketball court playing a pick-up game. Chris is a sneakerhead, an avid reader, and loves a good cheeseburger. You can follow him @252consulting on Instagram.