God states about Jesus in Matthew 17:5, "...This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." It was by His blood we were bought as we see in 1Peter 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, for your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" Therefore, Jesus is our Lord and to stand with Him is our required service to Him.
It is not enough just to call Him Lord. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Jesus even asked some to those who were listening to Him in Luke 6:46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" If we do not do what Jesus says, then He is not our Lord. Also, Jesus is not our friend if we do not do as He commands. In John 15:14 Jesus tells us, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." If we say Jesus is our friend and Lord but we do not do His word, then we are only deceiving ourselves as James 1:22 states, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
If you are not doing our Lord's will, then you do not know Jesus. John tells us in 1 John 2:3-6, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." Some readers may be insisting that they believe Jesus is Christ and love Him and all those begotten of Him. If that is true, then John tells us in 1 John 5:2-3, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
Do you know Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord? Do you love Jesus and those who obey Him? If you say "Yes", then that means you are in obedience to Him and stand up with Him in this world. If you are not standing with Jesus as Lord, then you need to conform your attitudes and actions with His will. If we do not stand with Jesus as Lord, then we have no hope and are without God in this world (Ephesians 2:11-12).
Charles Royal, Decatur, AL
