If we lose our life now for Christ's sake and the Gospel's, when He returns we shall receive the fullness of eternal life.

But if we choose to save our life now, and do not put it in the bank of Heaven, when the Lord returns we will not be given eternal life. What it will be like to be raised from the dead and not given eternal life I do not know. To tell you the truth, I do not care to find out! How about you?

Authority and Power

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:20,21—NIV)

The history of the world has been largely that of ambitious men and women who have sought power. Even today the ambitious, while sometimes working for the betterment of others, leave tremendous sorrow and agony in their wake. They are responsible for wars, famine, and the beating down of the rights of the poor.

When Christ returns it will be with saints who will govern the saved nations with justice and mercy. The rulers will be the servants of all.

Since we have been created to govern the works of God's hands, it is of supreme importance that we permit God to make of us the kind of ruler He desires.

To sit with Christ on His throne is one of the greatest of the Bible promises. But before this is possible we must overcome as He overcame.

That Christ had to overcome in order to sit down with His Father on the Father's throne may be a new thought to us. But it is a fact! Christ was tempted and buffeted all of His brief earthly life, beginning with the three great temptations in the wilderness and ending with Gethsemane and Calvary.

Christ had to overcome in order to govern. We also have to overcome the world, Satan, and our own lusts and self-will if we would be fit to govern with Jesus Christ.

Only those who have overcome as Christ overcame will be members of the Bride of the Lamb. The Lamb will not make an eternal part of Himself those who were unable to pass the test. Otherwise the marriage would be doomed to failure because His Bride would not be dwelling where He dwells, that is, in the fiery Presence of the Father.

Referring to the passage above, we note that before we are invited to sit with Christ on His throne we first must open the door of our personality to Him. We must live by eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood, just as He is nourished by the love and worship we offer in return.

As we thus live by Him as He lives by the Father, the Father and He take their place on the throne of our personality. They will not do this until we are joyously willing to have them assume the center of our will where our decisions are made.

To be continued.