Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)

This singular verse in Ephesians, which is repeated elsewhere in the Bible (Acts 15:40, Galatians 1:3, Philemon 1:3, etc.), sums up how God wants to touch mankind — he offers his grace (unmerited favor) and peace to all who put their trust in Him.

When comparing religions, it is soon evident that the God whom Christians follow is not like other gods. In Hinduism, there are some 330 million gods for worshipers to call on, many of whom are vindictive, spiteful, and just plain mean. Hundreds of millions of people in India are enslaved to these gods whom many Christians consider to be demons in disguise.

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, with more than one billion followers, most of whom live in what is called the 10-40 window. If possible, adherents are expected to make pilgrimage at least once to Mecca and keep a code of rules and regulations to appease Allah. One of the pillars of this religion is praying five times daily, facing Mecca. Clearly, how well you perform your faith in this life determines where you will spend eternity. To fully understand Islam, followers are expected to learn Arabic.

Followers of Buddhism have varying beliefs depending on the sect. Some consider Buddhism a religion, while others call it a way of life. Your speech, action, and livelihood play an important part in your life, but as far as life after death, the teachings of Buddha are silent.

For the follower of Jesus Christ, we know that our God isn’t fickle, mean, or vengeful. True, vengeance does belong to our God, but it isn’t something that is held over our heads 24/7/365, particularly when we have entrusted our lives to Him. Our God wants to fellowship with us and His incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection were space-time events which connected sinful man to a holy God. God always takes the initiative — we are to respond and to consent to Him. Christians have translated the Bible into thousand of tongues — demonstrating how our God comes to people where they are at.

God wants everyone to taste His peace and to live with Him forever. We can’t follow an impossible set of rules and there is nothing on earth that we can do to win His favor. Out of love we serve Him, knowing moment-by-moment that Jesus broke the power of death and we shall live forevermore.

Photo courtesy of Manu M.

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I must admit that the Newsboys are one of my favorite Christian bands of today. They aren’t tops, but I can include them with Casting Crowns, Lincoln Brewster, and a few others in my personal portfolio of much appreciated bands.

It hasn’t always been that way with Christian music, particularly with the category known as Contemporary Christian Music or CCM. In the earliest days, Larry Norman, Keith Green, Honeytree, Second Chapter of Acts, and a few other groups or individuals ministered to young people, but then it seemed that for a period of time starting in the late 1980s to the late 1990s, there was a dirth of good groups to follow.

Please don’t take this wrong: God has always had his witness in the arena of worshipful music, but there was a time when some of the musicians seemed to be performers instead of ministers.

Without further adieu, I share with you a classic song from the Newsboys, Entertaining Angels, a song that was first released in 1999:

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He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (WEB)

I heard a terrific sermon this past Sunday. Not that every sermon isn’t inspiring, but this one most definitely had my name on it. Or, it had special meaning for me.

Verses 15 through 18 were discussed in the first chapter of Colossians, but it was the last verse that stood above the rest. You see, Jesus Christ does have a prominent place in my life, but as the verse clearly states, that position isn’t good enough: He must be preeminent.

Is there a difference? Most certainly. We all have things that are prominent in our lives, stuff that we consider to be more important than other things. A hobby; our jobs; our relationships with a spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc. can all have significance for us. Even God can be important, but being important doesn’t mean that He has first place.

Allowing Jesus to have preeminence in our lives means that everything that we do or say flows from Him. He isn’t one among many – He is our everything. Just as God will not share His glory with another, He will not allow us to settle for allowing Him to simply be prominent in our lives. Prominence may sound important, but it means that His place in our lives is being shared with something else.

In my youthful days as a Christian, such a revelation would have thrown me into despair, causing me to excessively examine my plight and beg God (repeatedly) to forgive me. Today, I heed the Spirit’s correction and immediately respond by repenting and receiving His forgiveness.

It doesn’t matter what thing or event was in the way for, “we are all like sheep and have gone astray.” The Good Shepherd is faithful to restore us when we slip or when we allow anything else to supplant His rightful place on the throne of our hearts.

Think about it: Is Jesus prominent in your life or is He preeminent?

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