And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 6:46-49
Jesus is many things to us, a God, master, husband, shepherd, father, Saviour, redeemer, etc. When we begin our walk with the Lord, we are often drawn to Him because of His mercy and love for us. As a result, we yield to Him. However, the more we grow in Him while knowing He is Mercy, the idea of His Lordship comes to view. His Lordship over us is seen in our liberation from other Lords that ruled over us initially. We are freed from bondage to sin and death, to serve and worship Jesus. To be a Lord means to own someone. This word was often used by slaves or servants in referring to a master or someone they revered. Sarah also used this when referring to her husband, Abraham, to show her respect and reverence for Him.
Jesus asked this question in Luke 6:46, to His followers, why do you call me Lord and disobey me? Being that ‘Lord’ is often one of the most used phrases when referring to Jesus by His followers today, the question is worth considering. Oftentimes, in consideration of God’s benevolence and His love, it is easy to take His mercy and slowness to anger for granted, however, we often do this at the expense of our intimacy with Him. When all is said and done, those who will be with Him are those who follow Him wherever He goes, those who walk in obedience as seen, Revelations 14:1-4. These faithful ones are like people who built their foundation on sand. The wind blows, the storm hit, but each time they revered and honoured Him, obeying His Word, their roots went deeper and deeper into Him and they were able to withstand the most terrible storms and stand.
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Malachi 1:6 KJV
The Word Master used in this verse is Adon Adon, which means Lord and the Word fear is Mora which means terror, deep reverence. Being that God is an all-consuming fire, it is not out of place to shake and tremble at His command. In fact, it is these people that experience God in the most intimate way, Isaiah 66:1-2. He being merciful to our unrighteousness and speaking tenderly to us even when we falter is part of His covenant to us, Hebrews 8:10-13, in a bid to woo us to Himself. Yet, if we acknowledge Him as Lord, a few things are required of us:
Submission and Obedience: Paul wrote several scriptures to wives to revere their husbands and submit to them in everything, Ephesian 5:22-24. While this is very relevant in marriages, it was all made in reverence to our first obedience to God. This is our bridal duty and the expectation of a faithful bride. A woman revering another man above her husband is often one of the first signs of unfaithfulness. In our case, because God looks at the heart, reverencing and submitting to anything else but God is already adultery. While God is slow to anger, the consequence eventually catches up, with this bride fully turning away and becoming a harlot, as seen in the case of Israel in Ezekiel 16. This bride becomes like one who did not build their house on a solid foundation, sacrificing intimacy with her husband for convenience sake and she is carried away by a storm. This command is for our good.
Consecration or separation to our Lord alone is the right response as brides to our Lord. We can only have one master, lest we love one and hate another, Matthew 6:24. Consecration is separation from the world, separation from sin and unto the purposes of God. It is those who persevere this bridal devotion that will be part of His bride and first fruit. The Spirit of fear of the Lord gives us this Wisdom and instils in us the ability to reverence our Lord as He deserves. The good news is that His Spirit is already given, we simply need to yield and ask that His influence be seen in our lives. If He is our Lord, then all respect, fear, devotion, submission, love and all of us belong to Him alone.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, be merciful to me for all the times I have taken Your Mercy and your Grace for granted. Forgive me for all the times I have despised your name and been disobedient. You are My Lord and My desire is to obey and reverence you, to Love you. Impart me with Your Spirit today that I may walk in the fear of the Lord, my heart single and my devotion to you alone.
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