What does it mean to follow Jesus (Lordship)

Here's a small devotional on the first steps to making Jesus the Lord of your life.

What does it mean to follow Jesus (Lordship)

Hear His voice – Jn 10.27
Take up a Cross – Lk 9.23
Obedience – Jn 14.21
Friends – Jn 15.4, 10
Be like Him – Lk 6.40
Forgive like Him – Lk 24.47

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Jesus and the Lordship of the Father

I'm going to be a little short on time over the weekend so I'll post a few devotionals for your kitbag.

This is my introduction to Lordship (making Jesus not only my Savior but my Lord). When I'm talking to men about making Jesus the Lord of their lives, I point out Jesus' submission to the Father. This helps me to explain the concept of lordship and continue to underscore Jesus as the model.

Jesus and the Lordship of the Father

Greater than Family – Mt 12, 46-50
Greater than Food – Jn 4.32-34
Greater than His own Will – Lk 22.42
Greater than His Life – Phil 2.8
It was His Job Description – Jn 6.38-39
Obedience = Love – Jn 14.21

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Restoring the Image (Part 3) – We Need a Savior

Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

It’s like a mint condition 1957 Chevy given to you by your grandfather. As you are driving it home, you take the corner too fast and roll the antique car in the ditch.




The restoration of God's image in His creation is so important He mentions His plan in the very beginning. In Genesis 3.15, God predicts the outcome of the great battle between Himself and Satan. There is an exchange of two wounds. Satan bruises the heel of the One come, but the chosen One will crush Satan's head. This is the first mention in the Scriptures of God's plan for restoration through a Messiah. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, will come and die for the sins of the people and then rise again on the third day. But Satan will be dealt a final death blow and his temporary reign will end.


It was thousands of years before the Messiah came. The relationship between man and God has its high points but normally falls far short of God’s desires. Although the Law of the Old Testament is instituted by God to help us, it is temporary and never meant to be a final solution for the marred image (Gal 3:17-29). Mankind waited for a Savior. It isn't until Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that real restoration begins (1 Pet 3.18).



But notice I said begins. Far too often this is where our spirituality begins and ends. The unfortunate focus of modern American Christianity is to secure salvation through whatever expedient means available. I believe in salvation by faith through grace and that conversion is an immediate, irrevocable gift from God (Rom 5.9-10). But, I also believe that many have been duped by the enemy into thinking that reciting a few words in prayer will unconditionally secure eternal life (2 Cor 13.5, Mt 7.21-23, Mt 13.24-30; Mt 13.36-50). An individual's salvation is not hinged on a particular mantra they recite.





Salvation is directly connected to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Jn 14.6). The struggle in contemporary Christianity is not just securing an authentic conversion (justification through faith in Jesus Christ) but actively following the Savior Who has provided such a great salvation (Heb 5.12-6.1). Although many have received a true conversion, the real challenge lays in experiencing ongoing spiritual transformation (sanctification, Phil 2.12-13, Rom 12.1-2).



God's plan to restore the image goes far beyond the cross (Col 2.6-7). It is a process of restoration evident by real change in a person’s life. It ultimately finds its end in a completely repaired image of God (glorification, 1 Cor 15.51-53). The remainder of this article will talk about the restoration process. So stick around and keep reading as we pursue the restoration of the image of God in us.



It’s like a mint condition 1957 Chevy given to you by your grandfather. As you are driving it home, you take the corner too fast and roll the antique car in the ditch. A policeman comes to your aid and to add insult to injury, gives you a ticket for speeding and talking on a cell phone while driving. But, he also gives you a business card for one of the best repair shops in town. To be continued...



(Part 1) - The Glory of His Image
(Part 2) – Too Much of a Good Thing
(Part 3) – We Need a Savior
(Part 4) – The Restoration Process: The Father
(Part 5) – The Restoration Process: The Son
(Part 6) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship
(Part 7) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship Continued
(Part 8) – The Restoration Process: One-on-One Discipleship
(Part 9) – The Restoration Process: Tools and Techniques
(Part 10) – The Restoration Process: Dangers


For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...

Restoring the Image (Part 2) – Too Much of a Good Thing

Genesis 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

It’s like a mint condition ‘57 Chevy given to you by your grandfather. As you are driving it home, you take the corner too fast and roll the antique car in the ditch.

Adam and Eve have the perfect environment with a perfect relationship with God. But Satan will have none of that. He tricks the two into disobeying their Creator by twisting His words. It is interesting that the temptation for them is to be even more like God (Gen 3.5). After eating the fruit, the serpent promised they would have knowledge like God (Perhaps Satan’s temptation sounded more like, “You can be gods yourselves.” It seems this temptation plagues us to this day).





This is not part of God’s original intent and when they fall into sin, the image is marred. There can be too much of a good thing (Gen 3.22). In fact, the image was so ravaged by sin, it was no longer recognizable and separated them from their Maker with a spiritual death (Gen 3.8, Rom 6.23).





And now we have great difficulty bringing glory to God, as was intended. Instead, like a little god, we strive to bring glory only to ourselves. But even in this state of separation and destruction we still maintain our value with God. His sentiments are still with us because we are crafted in His image. So much so, that if one is murdered, it is the image that makes this crime so horrific (Gen 9.6). And now, from the prototype to the present, every reproduced image has the same self-destructive flaw of sin (Rom 3.23). The image of God’s offspring is in desperate need of restoration.

It’s like a mint condition 1957 Chevy given to you by your grandfather. As you are driving it home, you take the corner too fast and roll the antique car in the ditch. To be continued…



(Part 1) - The Glory of His Image
(Part 2) – Too Much of a Good Thing
(Part 3) – We Need a Savior
(Part 4) – The Restoration Process: The Father
(Part 5) – The Restoration Process: The Son
(Part 6) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship
(Part 7) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship Continued
(Part 8) – The Restoration Process: One-on-One Discipleship
(Part 9) – The Restoration Process: Tools and Techniques
(Part 10) – The Restoration Process: Dangers


For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...

Testimony 4: Afraid of being Left Behind

Chapter 4

"For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
(Mark 13:19-20)

My first duty assignment was at Ft. Bragg, NC. My fear that something bad could happen during a jump subsided and so did my chapel attendance. But during one of my sporadic spells of superstition, I met an ex-Special Forces guy named Tom. He was a very committed Christian and he played soccer with a bunch of guys on Sunday afternoons. So we started hanging out together. He invited me to a Bible study, which I attended a couple of times. I listened to what they had to say about Jesus dying on the cross and how faith in Him would give me forgiveness for my sins. I had heard all that before but these guys were living their daily lives like it was really true. I thought they were religious fanatics and distanced myself. One day out of the blue, Tom invited me to a movie (based on a bestselling book) called "The Late Great Planet Earth." It was about the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ. I was so interested (and scared) I bought the book as well. At the end of the book, there was an invitation to receive Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. I thought that if I would pray this little prayer, I would have eternal life. I wouldn't have to worry about the end of the world or Hell or any other bad thing. So I prayed the prayer as though I were buying fire insurance. I really wasn't sorry for my sins nor did I have any intentions of changing my life.

Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2: Jesus is Watching You
Chapter 3: Paratrooper Religion
Chapter 4: Afraid of being Left Behind
Chapter 5: The Geographical Solution

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...

Restoring the Image (Part 1) - The Glory of His Image

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(Genesis 1:26-27)

I want to take a small detour from our study of the gospels and look at the purpose and design of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In essence this will be a thorough definition of discipleship.

In order to understand God’s desire for us now, we need to take a look at God’s original intent for us. In Genesis, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26-27). God forms man out of dust and breathes life into him (Gen 2.7). We know this image is not the physical form God made from the dust. God is Spirit and cannot be seen. So, it was man’s godlike character God created in His image. He made us in His image with many of His characteristics. The image was perfect and unflawed. He made us with the ability to reason, to create, to love, etc. We did not inherit all of God’s attributes (for example: omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, or the knowledge of good and evil) but we were created more like Him than any other created thing. And in this original image, man was able to do exactly what God had designed him do, to glorify Him (I Cor 10:31, Rom 11.36). As the Westminster Confession states: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” When God creates man and surveys all His handiwork He says it is “very good” (Gen 1.31). Then He rests on the seventh day. It is as if to say, “Now My creation is complete and man is My crowning achievement.” We are set apart from all of creation. We are the only part of creation that was made in the image of God. Not even angels have this distinct privilege (Heb2.6-7). Next to God Himself, we are the hottest thing going in the universe. This was God’s original intent but something went terribly wrong.

It’s like a mint condition 1957 Chevy given to you by your grandfather. To be continued…
(Part 1) - The Glory of His Image
(Part 2) – Too Much of a Good Thing
(Part 3) – We Need a Savior
(Part 4) – The Restoration Process: The Father
(Part 5) – The Restoration Process: The Son
(Part 6) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship
(Part 7) – The Restoration Process: Discipleship Continued
(Part 8) – The Restoration Process: One-on-One Discipleship
(Part 9) – The Restoration Process: Tools and Techniques
(Part 10) – The Restoration Process: Dangers

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...

Motivation for the Word

Here’s a little devo I use to help guys see the importance of being in the Word. I ask them to rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 10. Then we read the verses. Most guys will give 10s for every statement. My last question is: You have stated that the Word of God has very high value to you, are you reading it on a daily basis? Do your actions match your stated value?

Motivation for the Word

On a scale of 1-10 how important is…
· The Word of God tells the truth - 2 Tim 3.16
· It is essential to my success - Josh 1.8
· It gets to the root of my problems - Heb 4.12
· Reading it is a priority - Mat 6.33
· Its essential for effective ministry - 2 Tim 2.15
Ezra 7.10, Mat 4.4

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend...