THE CURRENT REIGN OF JESUS " For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet." Jesus is the "Head of the church" and the "Savior of the body" (Eph 5:23). He is responsible for "bringing many sons to glory" (Heb 2:10), and bring them He shall! He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit that he might bring us to God (1 Pet 3:18), and bring us He shall! He has been given "power over all flesh" to do so! He has been exalted over all opposing forces so God's purpose will not fail of fulfillment. -- Tomorrow:
(1 Corinthians 15:25)
Devotion 20 of 25
One of the great prayers for the church is that its eyes may be opened up to the magnitude of the power that has been devoted to it. Jesus has been raised from the dead and given to the church in the capacity as "Head over all things." Here is how Paul prayed.
"I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is . . . the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power. God put this power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And He has put all things under His feet and has made Him the Head over all things FOR THE CHURCH, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph 1:17-23, NRSV).
Christ is not the "Head over all things" for the Jews, but "for the church!" It is the "church" which Jesus "loved," and for which He died (Eph 5:25). God has given Jesus to the church in this capacity; as "Head over all things." And why so? So that He might give it "eternal life" -- eternal life in its fulness, as well as its firstfruits sense. There are inimical powers that are determined to bring us down; but Christ is their Head. He has already utterly defeated them, triumphing over them in His cross (Col 2:15). He will see to it that all who trust in Him will also experience final and complete victory over all the power of the enemy.
This means "no testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13, NRSV). Working through your faith, the enthroned Savior will open the door of escape, so you may become strong through testing and not be overcome by it. It takes "all power in heaven and earth" to accomplish this! Deliverance from temptation is a far great accomplishment than men are prone to think!
PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ I thank You for a salvation that is so adequate and so thorough that its Captain controls all of my adversaries, and has power to provide all of my need.