“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? (Luke 6:46 NLT)

What does it mean when we say Jesus is Lord of our lives?

It means when He purchased you and I with His love, with the matchless, steepest price that cost Him His own life, so we may have and enjoy life in abundance, to the full, till it overflows, we are no longer our own.  He owns us.  He marked us irrevocably His when we believe and receive Him wholeheartedly.

Just as the voice of the Father was heard at the Jordan river over His Son while being baptized, the inclination of our hearts to hear Him say, “You are My beloved and you are Mine.” is inevitable.

I remembered vividly when I was going through something overwhelming sometime ago.  I still could recall the exact spot in my house and the position I was in when I quieted myself and sat at His feet in worship earnestly waiting for Him to speak.  I opened my heart, my ears and my mind, anticipating readily, fully expectant to what He was about to utter.  Before I knew it, I heard Him say from the core of my being, “Today, I have begotten you.”  I may not have comprehended what I heard, but it surely was experientially remarkable which pulverized the dark clouds that encompassed me.  Those words became my Rock and my Fortress to this day.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

When He is Lord, He becomes our Master, Who is first in honor and exaltation.  He is first to be sought after and eagerly desired for.   He is to be our first and greatest influence.  In short, He is first in everything.  Nothing and no one should come before Him.

Colossians 1:18 AMP “He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.”

Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd and we, as His sheep, are fully known by Him inside out.  Pretense is needless and pointless in His presence.  His thorough and in-depth knowledge of us bring us to a place of peace and security.  Come on … who knows the number of hairs in our heads but Him alone?  That’s how intimately mindful He is of us.

Because He leads, He refreshes, He comforts, He protects, He restores, He provides, He revives and He anoints the ones that follow Him.  He goes before us to straighten our paths and level our ways.  He makes roads in the wilderness and streams in the dessert.  He opens double doors for us, surrounding us with His unmerited favor like a shield.  He makes our mountains low and raises our valleys high that we may have a highway of righteousness to walk in.

If and when we heed His voice and follow our Good Shepherd, we get what He has prepared for us along the way, for He knows where and how to take us and He graces us in this journey by being with us with His might and power to perform His intention to reach our divine destinies with that seed of greatness He has deposited in us.  Otherwise, we position ourselves to a more challenging route, yet with His grace and mercy reaching out to us, these are His love-filled luring invitations to get us back on track.

He may lead each one of us differently that perfectly fits our unique giftings and identities, providing us opportunities for our spirits to blossom in His presence, but His divine ultimate goal is for us to be like Him.  After all, you and I were originally created according to His image and fashioned after His likeness (Genesis 1:26).

Moreover, you and I need to see and hear the One we are following or else we will find ourselves somewhere far from our expected end in glory.

Picture this with me, even a flight captain listens to the Air Traffic Controller and follows his assigned flight route to end up at the right airport of destination.  It is the same way with us with the Holy Spirit as our guide, allowing His revealed Word to be the lamp upon our feet and the light unto our path.  If we get distracted, may we learn to put on our blinkers just as racing horses have over their eyes as an essential piece of equipment to reduce distractions, improve peripheral vision or provide additional eye protection.  In our case, we let the Word of God be our plumbline, guiding and leading us into all truth and in the way we should go.

It is indeed of utmost importance to have an intimate relationship with our Good Shepherd, so when He speaks, we surely know His voice and obey Him.  We are to abide in Him and His Word abide in us.  When we hear Him, we harden not our hearts knowing that He always leads us to a place of rich fulfillment.  He never desires for anyone to perish.  God loves us too much and He yearns for us to be grafted into His Kingdom as His sons and daughters, and this truth must be established in our hearts, strengthening our bond of trust day by day.

“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions.  With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make.  Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore Him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong.”  (Proverbs 3:5-7 TPT)

Sometimes we need to stop making our minds gear up searching for understanding as a sense of mastery in our lives.  Oh how we want to grasp the inexhaustible, contain the uncontainable because we want to be in control.  That’s why Jesus said … “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord and do not do the things that I say?  (Luke 6:46)     

Why not seek the Master and trust Him with every fiber of our being and lean on Him Who is the Master of all?

Attaining this place of intimacy and obedience is a step by step process.  The Love of God plays the most vital role.   We are to be deeply rooted and grounded in His love that we may have the strength to comprehend with those around us what is the height, width, depth and length and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all understanding. It is in nurturing deeper and deeper our relationship with Him until there is a “no” left in our vocabulary when He leads us to go and do.   It is when the very divine nature of Jesus Who uttered, “Not My will but Yours be done”, is so inculcated in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we may say and do the same way.

One thing I’m sure though is that He will never ask us to do the impossible.  That is God’s part of the equation.  Ours is the doable part graced by His Spirit.  

Moses lifted up his rod, stretched out his arm as the Lord told Him and God parted the Red Sea.

Naaman dipped in the Jordan river seven times according to the saying of Prophet Elisha and God healed his leprosy where his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Peter and his company cast the net at the right side of the boat at Jesus’ Word and caught a net-breaking, boat-sinking catch of fish. 

Noah built the ark even without a history of rain only because God told him to do so.  We could just imagine the mockery he faced, but God saved a remnant from the great flood because of his obedience.  No one has ever done anything great without opposition, without people thinking of us being off course.  But, when we set our face like flint, with unwavering faith trusting God for what He has spoken, we shall see His goodness in the land of the living.

Paul and Silas praised and worshipped at midnight, but God caused a sudden earthquake that shook the prison’s foundations and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Mary told the servants in Cana, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5)  When Jesus told them to fill the six waterpots of stone with water, they did, but Who did the miraculous of turning water into wine?  Only God can do the impossible when we yield and obey.

When He leads us to do something, it may not end up in a spectacular mode, but one thing I know is that it will surely make an impact in our own lives and in someone else’s.  We are here to be glory carriers, instruments filled by Him to overflow that others may taste and see that the Lord our God is good.  Even in the midst of adversity, His power has the ability to turn things around for our favor and make them good.

When He is our Lord, our most important offering is ourselves.  The greatest we can give is ourselves.  The perfect demonstration of our love for Him is ourselves.  When He wins our hearts, He’s got the entirety of us.  It is dying to ourselves and be alive in Him.  It is when we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless we live, yet not us, but Christ living His life in and through us.  It is when we say “Yes, Lord” without hesitation but with full conviction.

How can we question His Lordship when “He saw us before we were born?  Everyday of our lives were recorded in His book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:16) and His plans are way beyond good that we could ever dare think, dream or imagine.

We determine how close we want to be with the Lord.  His Word says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)  The fruit of our intimacy with Him will be manifested in our lives where those around us can witness. Our relationship with Him diffuses the fragrance of His presence that will draw others close to Him.  His sweet smelling aroma is simply irresistible.

This is when we become seeds to the world.  A seed is of no use until it falls to the ground, buried and died.  Then, a new life comes as it sprouts out.  With this new life in Christ, we become new creations.  Now, His thoughts become ours as we continually meditate His word day and night.  His agenda becomes ours.  His desire becomes ours.  His will becomes ours. 

JESUS IS THE LIGHT, but before He ascended to heaven, He called you and I to be the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14  And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden.

v. 15 Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house.

v.16  You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

I was invited by my friend to watch a night of celebration where three bands were set to perform.   She played rhythm guitar and my piano teacher was on the keyboard in one of the bands.  Initially I hesitated, although deep inside me, I yearned to watch my teacher hit those ivory keys in person as I haven’t met her yet. My lessons with her are limited to online sessions.

There were too many voices fighting for my attention and decision whether to go or not. You see, I haven’t been out in the night to watch gigs for decades.  Many may think … oh that’s a no brainer and just go.  In my case, I have learned to value time, effort, resources and be intentional, although at times it will just be leisurely done.  But this time, I just needed to see the purpose why I had to be there, and when it’s highlighted and revealed, nothing then can stop me from going.  

The day before the event, I had this strong impression in my heart to bless and drive my friend (rhythm guitar player) to the venue and back to her house, and I said, “Yes, Lord!”  The very next day, surprisingly, someone close to me suddenly blessed me with an amount that was exactly the entrance fee for the night and put fuel in my car.  Did she know the Lord’s plan?  No!  When I told her later on, she was equally stunned.  I always say this, “When it’s His will, it’s His bill!”

Before the show started, another friend of mine whom I haven’t seen for years treated me to dinner. Talk about the provision of the Lord. His ways are awesomely unpredictable yet full of glory. Oh how much I enjoyed that night and saw the delight in my friend’s and teacher’s eyes.  In addition to that, my eyes were zeroed in on the other band’s singer.  I’ve never seen nor heard her before, but there was an unction for me to pray for her. Why?  I still do not know to this day. The only thing I did was respond to His leading and said, “Yes, Lord!”. Surely this is another testimony of God’s goodness in the making.

The very next day, another surprise came in when I got a message from my teacher that she wanted to meet and fellowship with us.  My friend and I were inviting her for months, but her full schedule gave us no day.  We then set it up for the next week.

Truly, “when the time is right, the Lord will make it happen.” (Isaiah 60:22) 

After hours of fellowship where exchanges of testimonies were done, what warmed my heart was my teacher’s comment that she is now looking forward to more sharing sessions no matter how busy her schedule will be.  That is a testimony in itself.

Indeed, the genuine fruit of an encounter with God is to pursue and know Him  more and more by His revealed Word and by fellowshipping with other believers that will transform our lives from glory to glory as He feeds and fills us to the brim, us becoming more like Him.

To grow in grace and the knowledge of God is to get hungry enough to be fed and thirsty enough to cry out.  Luke 1:53  “He feeds the hungry with good things, but the satisfied He sends away empty. ”  A “heard that, been there, done that, know that” attitude is an opposing factor to intimacy.   It sets us in a mediocre mode and being lukewarm is unpleasant to the Lord’s sight.  Instead, we fuel the fire of our faith as we keep hearing and hearing the Word of Christ and visibly see His living word with performance.

I love the words of Kathryn Kuhlman …

“It isn’t silver vessels He is asking for, it isn’t golden vessels that He needs. He just needs yielded vessels.” 

May we learn to say, “Yes, Lord!” and trust Him even without comprehension knowing that He deeply loves us and His plans are only good, plans for peace and well-being, plans to prosper us and never to harm us, to give us a future and a hope.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us seeing eyes, hearing ears and a yielded heart that we may live and move and have our being in You.   Thank You, Jesus, for being our Lord and Savior.  It is Your Lordship in our lives that affects our character, our thoughts, our ways, our direction and the outcome of the way we live.  You as our Savior settles our lives for eternity.  You as our Lord settles our earthly temporary lives as we heed Your voice constantly. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for making Jesus more real and of greater influence to us than anything or anyone else, that we may be graced to say, “Yes, Lord!” everytime You lead us.  Thank You for continuously pouring the love of God into our hearts that motivates us to love others.  Truly, your kingdom is all about being loved to love, blessed to bless, comforted to comfort, encouraged to bring courage and refreshed to refresh those around us.  As You are, so are we in this world.  Amen!

Photo Credits: Edna Arriola; New Zealand