Luke 6:46-49
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Why do we call Jesus Lord and not do the things He says? Because it requires very little to call Jesus our Lord, but it requires very much to live as if that were so. Just look at the example that Jesus gives and compare the effort of the two. Both men were building houses, but one finished a lot sooner than the other, perhaps relaxing on his sofa while his neighbor labored, digging deep to find a solid foundation, going through the work, the time, the effort, the expense to make sure it was done right. And in the end it was worth it, because when the storm came, his house was still standing, while his neighbor was left in ruin. One had to rebuild while the other could not be shaken.

Jesus isn’t looking for lip service. It’s easy to talk the talk. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’re something other than we really are. It’s easy to put in the token effort and think we have it made. But then life comes along and we find out the truth of our own hearts and lives. We’re either Christ’s or we’re not. We either obey or we disregard what He says. We’re either willing to live as He says we are to live or we’re left picking up the pieces after the inevitable storm.

Don’t just say that Jesus is Lord of your life, but live like it. He says that the proof of that is in what we do with His Word. Have you heard His sayings? And what have you done with that? Obedience to God is worth it no matter what it requires of us. Not only does it benefit us in practical ways in the different situations we face in life, but it shows our love and devotion to the one we’ve chosen to call our Lord. What kind of servants would we be if we neglected to do as our Master has asked?