An extraordinary authority

FOR if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (Romans 5:17).

The literal translation of the word “reign” in the verse above is taken from the root word “Basileuo” (Greek), and it means to “king” or “be king.” It’s the verb of kingship. So, you could actually say, “They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall ‘king’ or ‘be kings’ in life.” They’re going to carry out the functions of a king; they’ll reign and rule in life. That means you have an extraordinary authority.

What you have to do is to learn about the authority you have. What’s the implication and extent of this extraordinary authority? What does this give you? It bestows on you the gift of righteousness; righteousness makes us masters. The Bible says the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). He came with grace, and brought us righteousness as a gift. So, when you hear the Gospel and believe in Jesus Christ, you become the recipient and expression of His righteousness.

Jesus came to reveal and demonstrate the righteousness of the Father. Now, He gives you that same nature, ability, and authority to carry on His ministry, to reveal and demonstrate His righteousness.

He gave you the authority to do it. You have the ability to unveil the will, purpose and character of your heavenly Father. What a life!

No wonder He said in John 20:23, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” He’s made you the dispenser of His goodness: His mercy, grace, love, and righteousness. Remember, you’re an associate of the God-kind, in partnership with Him, therefore, it’s perfectly legal for the Lord Jesus to give you the authority (the same authority that He had) to dispense good things. You’re the expression of His glory, splendour, and divinity. Hallelujah!

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the extraordinary authority vested in me, to rule and reign as a king in life. I’m a dispenser of your goodness; I manifest your glory, splendour and wisdom; your righteousness is expressed through me today, and always in Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Rhapsody Of Realities. IMAGINE you engage a contractor to build your house and when you visit to assess progress you are met with crooked walls crooked and everything appearing to be out of place. I do not need a rocket scientist to tell me how disgusted you will feel.

Amos 7:7-8: “This is what he showed me, the Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb with a plumb line in his hand. Verse 8: And asked me: “What do you see” Amos .....” Today, we take a journey to understand the function of a plumb line. A plumb line is defined as a cord with a weight attached used to produce a vertical line. It can be equated to the modern spirit level.

I used to wonder why all builders were so obsessed with the plumb line or spirit level. I was taken for some tutorials on the indispensable significance of the little gadget. Everyone who claims to be a pro- fessional builder should have undoubted knowledge on how to use the plumb line or spirit level.

God was standing before the nation of Israel visibly dejected by their rate of transgression and the Lord decided that it was time to measure the beloved nation’s conduct against his expectations and obviously they had failed to toll the line and register straightness and up righteousness before His sight. He said many times He had overlooked their inequity, but at this point it had reached unprecedented levels such that God would not ignore anymore.

Such times are rife in our societies today that God will say enough is enough. Despite having the 10 commandments at their disposal for reference at any given time, they turned a deaf ear and blind eye and God reached a boiling point. He acted upon any form of transgression. I do not need to remind you about the Sodom and Gommorah debacle.

Ephesians 2:20: “...And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.” It was the norm in the ancient construction industry. The artisans would erect the cornerstone first and every other measurement to a building was determined by the cornerstone.

Likewise, Christianity derives its statutes from Jesus Christ. It is therefore essential that we leave by the oracles of Jesus. Setting a plumb line on the walls that emanates from Jesus should never cause worries because they should be straight and unblemished.

If our lives are not in line according to God’s expectations, there is need to either chisel or cut to fit to size. This is a very painful, but necessary process. Unfortunately some things that may be beneficial to our physical being may be regarded as wayward by God and hence need to chisel out. It is for this reason that Paul at one time said all that was profitable he considered it as loss ... (Philippians 3:7).

There is a time in life that we must let go some of the materials things we hold on to for the sake of fitting into God’s design.

It is significant that we always reflect on our lifestyles and see whether we register on the plumb line. While our imperfections may be latent, God is going to use the plumb line that will expose all irregularities. This goes even into some colourful religious sects that claim to be working in the name of Jesus. The plumb line will not be lied to, as it will expose all the hypocrisy.

I challenge you today as I put a hem to this article that Test all the spirits, 1 John 4:1: “Beloved, believe not every, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many prophets are gone out into the world.”

It is a known fact that at one point God will restore order in His church. This is when they shall be gnashing of teeth. Matthew 7:23: “...And then I will profess to them yee that work iniquity” because someone has just uttered the word Jesus it is not an express confirmation of being a man of God.

Remember, there are abundant men of God and also a plethora of men of god. Strive to fit to the plumb line as to be acceptable before Jehovah.