All Hail King Jesus

By: John Carrigan

Thursday, July 10, 2025

But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

I write these words with a heavy heart, right after learning about those devastating floods in Texas. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were affected. It’s hard to comprehend the suddenness with which life and death happen. Lord, what would I do if that were me or my kids? I pray I would respond in the way I've read some of those Christian families did. They are grieving, but their trust and hope is still in Jesus!

Different stories may seem to have different perspectives, but really each story only has two. That’s because there are only two kingdoms in this world. Jesus is either the Lord of your life, or He isn’t. Your hope is either found in Jesus, or it isn't. But a life without Christ is full of hopelessness! Without the light of Jesus, evil manifests itself in many ways. Mankind has always struggled to understand why bad things happen to good people. A short but powerful answer to that question is this: On this side of eternity, we’ll never fully understand all of the “whys.” But we do know WHO we are following! Christ followers know Jesus personally, so we know we can trust Him 24/7.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21

God uses believers who remain steadfast in adversity as brilliant lights in a dark world. It doesn't take a tragedy, if we've been born again, we can share our experience of moving from darkness into light with someone else. But remember, there are people out there who will oppose God, His truth, and even us. But they aren’t our enemy! They have been deceived, just as we once were. So let's make sure we always share God's truth in love, with gentleness and respect. Our witness will reflect Jesus, so we must carefully consider every word we use. God has gracefully placed us at this exact place in this exact moment. Let's use our spiritual gifts to glorify God as we share Jesus with a lost and hurting world.

Holy Spirit, guide us and help us love others like You do. Whenever we’re at a loss for words, fill us with Your power so that we can encourage them and pray for them. In Jesus' Holy name, Amen!