Just Professing or Really Living For The Lord?

Luke 6:46 (NLT) So why do you call me 'Lord,' when you won't 
obey me?  

True obedience is not just words but deeds, and it involves 
hearing the Word and doing it (1 Thess. 2:13). Judas knew the 
vocabulary, but he did not do the will of God; and when the storm came, his 
house fell. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re 
Luke 6] 
 
   It is not enough to say, "Lord, Lord." The person who has 
actually experienced forgiveness is the one who comes to Christ, who 
hears Christ's words, and who puts them into practice. In other words, 
when that inner transformation has well and truly taken place we will 
be drawn to Jesus, continually looking and turning to Him. We will 
be eager listeners to His Word. And we will be obedient 
practitioners of His Word. 

And, when the storms come, the cloak of the one who pretends 
to have faith, whose commitment is merely intellectual, and who 
enjoys dabbling in Christianity as long as he isn't forced to take it 
too seriously, will be stripped away. He and all around will 
suddenly realize what God knew all the time--that his claim to belong to 
God was empty and insincere..... The storms of life will come. But 
when they do the relationship that we have built with Jesus Christ 
will enable us not only to survive, but to triumph. And in that 
triumph we will not only witness to the reality of the forgiveness we 
enjoy, but will also bring glory to our God. [Victor Bible Background 
Commentary] 
 
Missing Heaven by 18 Inches
   Does this title startle you?
   How can anyone get so close and yet in the end hear the Lord 
say, "I never knew you: depart from me''? 
   However, this will be the terrible result of many in our 
churches today who are professing Christians, often with responsible 
positions, but who have had only a head acceptance of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Tragically enough, even teachers, preachers and religious 
workers are not exempt from the possibility of this chilling 
indictment. 
   The distance between the head and the heart is 18 inches. 
Unfortunately, a head--intellectual--knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, fully 
knowing and giving mental assent to the plan of salvation, without also 
a heart acceptance that brings the personal relationship that the 
Bible demands, avails nothing to any man. 
   Listen to Paul's heart cry concerning Israel as he spoke 
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, " For I bear them record that 
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." He was 
speaking about misdirected efforts, energies expended in the strength of 
the flesh but not under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The lack 
of power today in many of our churches as well as the lack of power 
today in the lives of many professing Christians can be laid directly 
to this. 
   It is only as we see ourselves in the mirror of God's Word as 
without excuse and without hope, utterly lost and undone, that the truth 
of the Scriptures convicts us, for the Bible clearly reveals that 
this is how God sees man. 
   Then, when the glorious truth of the gospel brings us to 
recognition of our own sinfulness, and in true repentance we cry out to God 
asking forgiveness and help, asking Him to come into our hearts, not 
our heads, we experience the new birth. 
   Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no 
man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 
   The Bible also tells us that "He that hath the Son hath 
[eternal] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.'' 
   Furthermore, the Bible promises "That if thou shalt confess 
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that 
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the 
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession 
is made unto salvation." 
   Christ wants your heart, not just your head because "The Lord 
seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but 
the Lord looketh on the heart." 
   It is vitally important that you make sure it is not just 
head knowledge and mental assent you have given to Jesus Christ. He 
needs the complete surrender of your heart and life so that you may be 
truly born again. 
   Eighteen inches can mean an eternity with Christ or an 
eternity without Christ. Are you sure of your personal relationship to 
Him? Why not settle the question in your heart once and for all right 
now? Paul W. Empet, American Tract Society, P. O. Box 462008, 
Garland. Texas 75046 
 
   Sooner or later almost every person has at least one negative 
opinion about his or her boss. Some bosses definitely earn this 
reputation, while others come by it innocently through the instructions they 
give their employees. In this latter instance, it comes down to 
this:The boss has told you to do something, and you don't like it. What 
can you do?  
   You may have never thought of Jesus as a bosslike figure, but 
he was a leader while he was here on earth. This reading contains 
examples of his earthly leadership. Here he takes charge and gives 
orders, and gets flak for it-just as we might expect. As you read, watch 
Jesus lead, and learn from his example.  
   Read Luke 4:14-6:49 
   Many people think of Jesus as a nice man, even a great man, 
who taught great truths. But the problem is that these same people 
stop short of viewing Jesus as an authority figure. They don't think 
he has any right to influence even the most minuscule area of their 
lives. They don't understand that Jesus isn't just a nice teacher, a 
gentle giant, or a profound guru. He's the Creator and absolute ruler 
of the universe (see Colossians 1:16-20). He has all authority (see 
Matthew 28:18). He has the right to tell us how to live, and he has 
power over all forces in the universe-natural, physical, and 
spiritual.  
   Whenever you read Jesus' teachings, see them as your mandate 
for living. Read them as if they were directed right at you. Jesus 
didn't come just to inspire us, but to lay claim to us. Can you call 
him Lord, Master, King? [The One Year Through the Bible Devotional 
by Dave Veerman] 
 
Every person has a house, a life to build. How he builds his 
life determines his destiny, not just for this life, but for 
eternity.... There is only One foundation for every life: Jesus Christ (1 
Cor. 3:11). He is the Rock upon which both individuals and churches 
are to build (Matthew 16:18). Everyone either builds upon this world 
or upon Christ, [Preacher's  Outline & Sermon Bible] 
 
In every decision in life there is a short view and a long view... 
Happy is the man who sees things, not in the light of the moment, but 
in the light of eternity... [Barclay Commentary] 

http://www.aBible.com/devotions/