Lord and Savior

2 Peter describes Christ as "Lord and Savior" in 1:11 as well as 3:18. This Wednesday, we are praying that Jesus is both these things in our lives. First, let's look at the savior part. For Christ to be our savior, we need to have accepted His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins (past, present, and future sins). It's a gift and it's a one time thing. There's nothing we can do to earn it and there is nothing we can do to keep it or lose it. Once we accept it, it's ours. Now let's look at the lord part. Webster defines Lord as "master or ruler". If Christ is our Lord, he is who we listen to. He is who we submit to. He is who we obey. And He is who we strive to emulate. We do this the rest of our lives.

Savior is all about love and Lord is all about the obedience that springs from this love. I heard one pastor describe Christianity this way: "The entrance fee is nothing but the annual dues are everything."

Chances are, since you're on this fasting and prayer list, Christ is already your savior. However, if you're at all like me, He isn't always your Lord. This week, let's all pray that we are placing Christ in the position of Lord of our lives. That we are looking to Him in all things. Why should we obey Him? Two reasons: Because He's God… and because we're not. They're two separate and distinct things and it can take us a lifetime to get them right.

Early on, when Ann Sullivan first started working with Helen Keller, she spent a lot of time working against Helen's strong will in an attempt to teach her manners. After one particularly trying interaction, she wrote the following: "Although I'm sure we will have many more of these altercations, it occurs to me there are only 2 essential things I can teach her… Obedience and Love." I think our Father looks at us the same way.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob