Day 9: 31 Days of Prayer

July 9, 2010

Morning

Psalm 16:2 (NIV) I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord…”

“The LORD is my Lord.” How can those be more than just words? How can we make Jesus the real Lord of our lives? The first step of Lordship is salvation. Romans 10:13 (NIV) for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Making Christ your Lord begins by trusting Him as your personal Lord and Savior. You must invite Him into your life and heart and trust Him to take you to Heaven when you die.

Please be careful how you read Romans 10:13. Note both what it says, AND, what it does not say. It does NOT say, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Savior will follow Him.” What I am saying is this: “It is not possible to make Him Lord of your life without being saved. But it is possible to claim Him as Savior without making Him our Lord.” The latter person may assume salvation, but cannot be assured of it.

Commenting on 1 Corinthians 12:3, J. Vernon McGee writes: “What is the central truth of the Christian faith? There are those who say it is the Cross of Christ, but I rather disagree with that. Although we come to the Cross to be saved, we do not stay at the Cross. We become united to the living Christ. That is the thing which is all important…The Holy Spirit commands the soul's obedience and allegiance to Jesus… The unifying work of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the lordship of Jesus to all believers.”

So let me ask: Do you think you are saved because you have made a profession of faith in Jesus as Savior? Or, do you know you are saved because you follow Jesus as the Lord of your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to clear up any confusion for you this morning.

Evening

How do you make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? You develop and maintain a sweet love for Him and other Christians. Matthew 22:37 (NIV) "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' John 13:34-35 (NIV) 34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." It is impossible to follow Jesus as Lord if you do not love Him. Do you love Jesus with all your being? Do you love your fellow Christians enough to die for them?

What if the answer is “No”? Don’t lie about it. Jesus already knows the truth. Revelation 2:4 (NIV) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Don’t run from it either as many spouses do today. Here’s what you do. 1) Repent. (Revelation 2:5). The inability to love someone who so greatly loves you (Romans 5:8) reveals a corrupted heart. 2) Meditate on the love of God displayed by Christ on the cross. 1 John 4:19 (NIV) We love because he first loved us. Stay in prayer mode until your heart warms up to Him and other Christians. 3) Obey! Practicing His Lordship will keep your heart warm towards Him. John 14:23 (NIV) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.