“As we’ve talked about before,” Stan began one morning, “it took me a long time to come to faith. As well, it took me a long time to begin the process of being transformed as a Christian.”
“Transformed from who you were,” I replied, “into what God intended for you?”
“Exactly!” Stan responded. “I was very slow to begin the process. As well, I can still continue to slow down and even head in the wrong direction.”
“Why do you think that is?” I asked.
“Failure to accept Jesus in both of His roles,” Stan replied.
“What two roles?” I asked.
“Savior and Lord,” Stan said.
Continuing, he added, “When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was granted the free and gracious gift of salvation. I was saved from being eternally separated from God when it’s time for me to step intro eternity.”
“But you were slow with the ‘Lord’ part of Jesus,” I responded. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s it, my friend!” Stan replied. “I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, but I needed to place Him as my Lord if I was going to begin and to be able to continually walk the path towards spiritual maturity through transformation.”
“Any idea why you hadn’t done that?” I asked.
“It took me some time to realize why I was so slow,” Stan replied, “and I saw the reason again this morning in my journaling time when I was focusing on the apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth.”
“What was it?” I asked.
“My failure to take advantage of all the Holy Spirit has to show me,” Stan replied. “The Holy Spirit is in me to lead me in making Jesus Lord of my life. If I don’t choose to allow Him to do why He is in me, Jesus is not going to be Lord. ‘Savior’ yes, but not ‘Lord’.
Continuing, he added, “Getting my ticket to glory by accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross as my Savior, was not the end of the story. It was to be the beginning of my life on this side of eternity with Jesus as Lord. That life was to begin and it is to continue for as long as God chooses to keep me here.”
“But,” he concluded, “it can only happen as I choose to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in making Jesus Lord as well as Savior. It is to be ‘Savior’ and ‘Lord’, and I am not to forget the ‘and’ part!”
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No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3.
You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right; for so I am. John 13:13.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16, 17.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of salvation through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. Thank you for those who brought me to the truth so I can have the assurance of life eternally with you when my time here is completed. Thank you, too, for the presence of your Spirit in me who wants me to acknowledge and accept that Jesus is to be Lord of my life on this side of eternity. I confess that way too often I do not have Him as Lord because I choose to have someone or something else as lord. Please forgive me. And please lead me, and help me to follow, in getting myself out of the way so that Jesus is truly Lord just as you intend. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus as my Savior and my Lord. Amen.
Think on this: Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior so you will not be eternally separated from God? If not, why? If you have the assurance of being saved, have you made Jesus Lord of your life for the time you have remaining here? If you have, what does that look like? If you have not, why? Is it because you don’t think it’s necessary? If that’s the case, you might want to spend time with God talking about what He wants. If you do want Jesus to be Lord of your life, do you know how that can happen?
Waiting for the Train 