Why Do You Call Me Lord? | When Jesus Asks the Question, Part 7
Key Truth | Calling Jesus Lord means more than believing the right things. It means trusting Him enough to let His Word shape our choices, even when obedience challenges what we want.
Key Scripture | “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46 NKJV
This question is uncomfortable because there isn’t much room to misunderstand it.
“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Jesus is confronting the distance between what we say and how we live.
I’ve followed Jesus long enough to know how easy it is to become familiar with the language of faith. We know what to say, what we believe and even what Scripture teaches. But knowing the right answer isn’t the same as living it.
The word Lord means something.
Calling Jesus Lord means He has authority. It means there will be moments when what He asks of me isn’t what I would choose for myself.
That’s where this question becomes personal.
There are areas where obedience comes easily because what Jesus asks already agrees with what I want. The harder places are where His words confront my preferences, my comfort, my timing or what I think is best.
Maybe that’s where we discover how deeply we actually trust Him.
Immediately after asking this question, Jesus tells a story about two people building houses. One dug deep and built on rock. When the flood came, the house stood. The other heard His words but didn’t act on them, and when the storm came, the house collapsed.
Both heard.
The difference was what they did with what they heard.
That challenges me because sometimes I keep asking God for another word when I haven’t obeyed the last one.
Maybe I don’t need more revelation. Maybe I need to respond to what He’s already made clear.
Obedience isn’t about earning God’s love. It’s what trust looks like when it becomes action. If I really believe Jesus knows better than I do, eventually that belief has to affect the decisions I make.
There will always be things in Scripture that challenge us. There will be moments when following Jesus goes against our desires or even the direction of the culture around us.
The temptation is to adjust His words until they fit the life we’ve already decided to live.
But at some point we have to decide who gets the final say.
Maybe the hard question today isn’t, Do I believe in Jesus?
Maybe it’s: Where am I calling Him Lord while still insisting on having the final say?
Reflection
Prayer | Jesus, I don’t want to simply call You Lord; I want my life to reflect that You are. Show me where my actions don’t agree with what I say I believe. Give me the humility to trust Your wisdom above my own and the courage to obey what You’ve already made clear. Amen.
Go Deeper
Luke 6:46–49
John 14:15
James 1:22–25
Matthew 7:21–27
1 John 2:3–6
The Echo | Jesus doesn’t ask questions because He needs answers. He asks questions because we do.
Key Scripture | “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46 NKJV
This question is uncomfortable because there isn’t much room to misunderstand it.
“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Jesus is confronting the distance between what we say and how we live.
I’ve followed Jesus long enough to know how easy it is to become familiar with the language of faith. We know what to say, what we believe and even what Scripture teaches. But knowing the right answer isn’t the same as living it.
The word Lord means something.
Calling Jesus Lord means He has authority. It means there will be moments when what He asks of me isn’t what I would choose for myself.
That’s where this question becomes personal.
There are areas where obedience comes easily because what Jesus asks already agrees with what I want. The harder places are where His words confront my preferences, my comfort, my timing or what I think is best.
Maybe that’s where we discover how deeply we actually trust Him.
Immediately after asking this question, Jesus tells a story about two people building houses. One dug deep and built on rock. When the flood came, the house stood. The other heard His words but didn’t act on them, and when the storm came, the house collapsed.
Both heard.
The difference was what they did with what they heard.
That challenges me because sometimes I keep asking God for another word when I haven’t obeyed the last one.
Maybe I don’t need more revelation. Maybe I need to respond to what He’s already made clear.
Obedience isn’t about earning God’s love. It’s what trust looks like when it becomes action. If I really believe Jesus knows better than I do, eventually that belief has to affect the decisions I make.
There will always be things in Scripture that challenge us. There will be moments when following Jesus goes against our desires or even the direction of the culture around us.
The temptation is to adjust His words until they fit the life we’ve already decided to live.
But at some point we have to decide who gets the final say.
Maybe the hard question today isn’t, Do I believe in Jesus?
Maybe it’s: Where am I calling Him Lord while still insisting on having the final say?
Reflection
- Is there something Jesus has already made clear that I keep delaying, explaining away or trying to negotiate?
- Where does my life need to come into agreement with what I say I believe?
Prayer | Jesus, I don’t want to simply call You Lord; I want my life to reflect that You are. Show me where my actions don’t agree with what I say I believe. Give me the humility to trust Your wisdom above my own and the courage to obey what You’ve already made clear. Amen.
Go Deeper
Luke 6:46–49
John 14:15
James 1:22–25
Matthew 7:21–27
1 John 2:3–6
The Echo | Jesus doesn’t ask questions because He needs answers. He asks questions because we do.
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