Bitter Cookies
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8-9
Insight
When my wife was in her final stretch of nursing school, I wanted to do something special for her a few years back. So after a long weekend of studying, I decided to whip up a sweet treat - a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I'm not a baker, but I can follow simple directions, or so I thought.
Since I have little to no self-control, I took a nibble...and instantly spit it out. They were unbelievably bitter. Who knew that mistaking baking powder for baking soda was such a big deal? It's easy to confuse these two ingredients considering they have baking in their name, come in similar packaging, and look practically identical.
For all their similarities, they work in distinct ways and produce different results. Switching these two will result in an undesirable taste. A common misunderstanding also occurs in our faith. We interchange Jesus as our Savior with Jesus as our Lord. And, when we mix these two up, it leaves a bitter imprint on our hearts.
A significant distinction exists between the two. The implications of a Savior influences only our "then" while declaring Jesus as our Lord impacts our "right now." One requires nothing of us while the other demands our everything.
If we see Jesus solely as our Savior, it means we can check our ticket to Heaven off our list and go about our daily business. After that, we manage things on our own and call the shots.
On the other hand, declaring Jesus as our Lord influences everything about us. It shapes our perspective and alters our response to the world. It directs our steps and how we serve and invest in others. We get to experience the vibrant life Christ promises us while walking in the freedom His grace provides.
The word Savior appears 36 times in the Bible, while the word Lord occurs over 7,800 times. That's quite a difference and speaks to the relationship Jesus desires to have with us. So, yes, we should celebrate and cherish that Jesus saved us and made way to be redeemed, reconciled, and repaired. However, declaring Jesus as our Lord is how those things take root in our hearts.
Pastor and author Bruxy Cavey says it best that "when we make Jesus Lord, we get Jesus as Savior thrown in."
Reflection
Where do you need to declare that Jesus is your Lord?
What would it look like to give Him control over this area?
Prayer
God, I declare You are my Lord. I will follow in Your footsteps. I will go wherever You call. Shape and mold me. Let me humbly serve You in everything I do. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.