Sunday, February 28
The Lord Jesus Christ
By Dan Klopp
The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
I call on Jesus as my Lord Jesus Christ because I have encountered the raw and harsh reality that only in Him will I live. I prayed the “sinner’s prayer” at the side of my bed near my parents in the early 1980s. However, it wasn’t until 1995 that Jesus become authentically real and close to me.
In November of 1995, I visited Christian missionaries in the small town of Salmon, Idaho. I traveled there to receive training and discipleship in my deepening faith. As I was somewhat “new” in my renewed relationship with Christ, I found the missionary couple to be somewhat “extreme” in their faith. They prayed constantly and stopped to acknowledge Christ in everything they did. They referred to Christ as Jesus their friend, and harped on me to pray all of the time. They told me to audibly yell out “Jesus” when I did my daily chores. I became annoyed with their frequent praise and joyful worship to Jesus. They seemed to know Jesus as if He was right there with them.
One day we traveled into the mountains to cut down trees for firewood. After a short break for lunch, we piled back into the Ford Explorer to return to the forest. The missionary put the truck in reverse and backed up quickly in an arc to clear the nearby trees. Somehow the truck lost control on a patch of ice and we hurtled backwards toward the edge of the mountainside. Gordon slammed on the breaks, but the wheels locked and we skidded backwards. The back wheels of the truck moved down the last few rocks on the edge. Gordon desperately spun the steering wheel to get traction to the ground, with no results.
We were going backwards over the edge of the cliff! I clung to the headrest. I wanted to jump out of the truck, but the door handle seemed too far away. I knew there wasn’t much time left. The truck slowly edged back over the embankment, and I saw Gordon’s panicked eyes in the rear view mirror. The wheels spun and the entire truck tilted toward the air below. Just then Gordon screamed out at the top of his lungs, “JESUS!”
The truck stopped and the wheels caught. It was as if something had brought it to a halt. We gingerly climbed out, got behind the truck, and attempted to push it onto level ground. My eye caught something near my foot. As I bent to see, I found a small blackberry bush had entangled itself into the trailer hitch of the truck. Jesus had somehow saved us through the use of a small blackberry bush.
Acts 16:31 says that we shall call upon the Lord Jesus Christ and we shall be saved. He really has saved me. I think of Jesus as my life, breath, and reason for living. I’ve realized in my journey that He has truly saved me from the pit of despair, death, and pain. To me, Jesus is my Lord and my Christ. He is the only reason I live. For me, calling upon Jesus as “Lord Jesus Christ” helps me see the massive and all-consuming relationship that I have with Him. It’s a small way that I can verbally describe the all-powerful, all-knowing, and intimate truth that He lives, moves, and reigns in my life.
Has the Lord Jesus Christ saved you? How have you seen His mighty hand quick to save you in your darkest hour? Take 5 minutes now to recall some moments where you called out to Him. Take a moment to thank Him for saving you.
Lord Jesus Christ, may I always remember Your powerful name.
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