Making the Deal
Lord, Lord

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:43-45

Key Verse: Luke 6:46

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Jesus is getting very straightforward in His teaching here in our Key Verse. He starts with a pointed question: “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?” He was talking to His disciples and a large crowd that had gathered from all around the region (Luke 6:17). His popularity, up to this point, was on the rise. Thousands wanted to hear Jesus speak. His ministry was not going to be defined by how many came to hear Him speak. Jesus was determined that God’s life-giving truth would define Him. This being true, Jesus did not want His followers to give “lip service” to these truths. He wanted them to live out these truths in everyday life.

Making the “deal” with God is not as much about hearing or, even, believing His truth as it is about doing His will. Are we doing what the Bible tells us to do? That is truly the all-important question. Reading this devotional is not half as important as taking its truths and applying them to your life. We tend to think that we “seal the deal” by saying our prayers, reading the Bible, and attending church. These three often become the “end” rather than the “means” to an end. The “end” is that our lives are transformed by the truth we gain from these three disciplines.

Words will seldom satisfy any covenant: a marriage covenant or our covenant with God. I “make the deal” when I do what I know makes the covenant.

Father, I want my prayers of ‘Lord, Lord’ to match up with my lifestyle that has made you Lord of my life. I will trust your grace to get me there. In Jesus’ Name, amen.