"Lord" isn't just another nickname for Jesus

Matthew 10:39 says "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

We've heard it time and time again that if someone wants to become a Christian and not go to hell, all they have to do is acknowledge that they are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess & repent of their sins, recite the sinners prayer and get baptized. Of course, all of that is key to being a Christian, but it is really only a portion of it.

First of all, how many of us were truly changed when we made that initial decision? Or better yet, how often do we hear someone say "I got baptized when I was eleven," or  "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!" but their lives tell us otherwise? Sure, they may have honestly intended to be a Christian (or intended to NOT go to hell) when they made that decision. The only sad part is they said the sinners prayer and got baptized before they ever weighed the cost and before they were willing to give Him total lordship. And so often, when the stakes are too high, or the road too narrow, they stray and take the easier worldly path to Hell while still thinking they are saved.


I will admit that I still question the "rightness" of me calling Him "Lord" from time to time. That's because there are times when I know that I haven't really forfeited a part of my life to His righteous jurisdiction. And if I've never surrendered, how can I call Him my "Lord"? The truth is, we'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who can honestly say that they've completely surrendered are without sin. But that in no way justifies sin in our lives.

So what does it mean to be a Christian?

I'd begin by saying that you must be willing to admit you're a sinner in need of a savior, confess and repent of your sin, and then be willing to take up your cross and give Him Lordship.

But what does it mean to give Him Lordship? To be honest, I'm still learning...
Webster's dictionary defines the term Lord as "one having power and authority over others." Living in America, freedom is all we've ever really known. Therefore, the concept of having to submit or surrender to a Lord is quite foreign to us simply because we've never had to exclusively and actively submit our lives to the authority of such or anything like it. Which would explain why so often we LABEL Jesus as our Lord, but never actively give Him that placement or jurisdiction in our lives.

One of the most deceitful concepts blinding us today is that you can say a simple prayer, get baptized, and then you're saved, never having to ever face the reality of eternity in a place called hell. It's so easy to comfort ourselves with the notion that that's all we have to do and we can live our lives however we want to. THAT'S A LIE! Hell is a real place and satan would love to have you believe that you are saved when you aren't.

Don't get me wrong; Yes, Jesus died on the cross so we wouldn't have to pay for our sins. Sure, that part is easy to comprehend. We love the notion of free salvation given to us through His sacrifice. It's why we celebrate His life, death, and resurrection annually. But there is so much more to being a follower of Christ than having your name printed on the roster of a local church each Sunday, or saying a prayer here and there whenever you feel like it. It's a relationship where God, through His word, calls us to LOSE our life in order to gain it! That means, our whole life, our wants, our needs, our desires, our secrets, our sins, our money, our possessions, our EVERYTHING over to the authority of His will so that we may find our new life and salvation through a relationship with His son, Jesus. That's why real Christians are so easy to pick out among the fake ones. They're the ones who've lost it all, given Him Lordship, and have since been transformed to reflect Jesus in everything they do. And it's not just a one-time sacrifice, but a daily one. A follower of Christ has to DIE DAILY. That means taking all your worries, all your wants, and all your possessions and saying "Okay God. It's yours!" every day. Sure, the cost is high, but the reward is even higher!

So why am I writing this blog? It's because I have a growing concern for those around me; the ones who are so convinced that they are saved when, in fact, they aren't. I also have a concern for those who are discouraged in their walk with Christ and need to be reminded that whatever it is, they just need to just give it over to God. And I have a concern for our future generations and pray that they will be taught the true meaning of being a follower of Christ--that they will make their decisions based on truth rather than deceit. Finally, I'm writing this in hopes that anyone who reads it will ask themselves the following:

Am I willing to lose my life in order to gain it? Or is "Lord" just a nickname I've given Jesus?

I pray this helps someone out there as much as God has used it to help me personally.