More Than A Title

Read Proverbs 6

Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Matthew 7:21

Jesus had just finished talking about how we can know a person by his or her “fruit” (Matthew 7:20). In other words, people can say whatever they want, but inevitably their actions (their “fruit”) will reveal who they really are and what they really believe. Therefore, Jesus knew that many people would attempt to “sound religious” by saying the right words and even referring to Jesus as “Lord.” They may attend church and “look” right. They may even be able to fool a lot of people for a lot of the time.

Jesus made clear, however, that looking or sounding religious will not get anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven. The only thing that matters is obedience to God the Father. That obedience refers to accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and allowing him to save us. What matters is not what we say about Jesus, but what we do about him.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Mix obedience with your faith.

Lord, let me strengthen my personal relationship with you. I want to obey your command to believe in the Son you sent to die for me. I want to bear fruit for you because I am your child.