Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what
I say? Luke 6:46
The
energetic pup yapped at the preschoolers as he darted between their legs and
nipped at their ankles. He had cornered
three hysterical children by the time his owner caught up with him.
“Sarge, no!” the man shouted. He grabbed the pup by the collar and jerked him
into a sitting position. He then knelt beside the terrified kids. “I’m sorry,
guys. Sarge didn’t mean to scare you. He’s just a puppy, and he’s still
learning. He’s an Australian Shepherd. It’s his nature to herd things,
anything. Even kids. When he’s trained, he will help me on my ranch. He thinks
he’s helping me now, by cornering you guys. You wanna pet him?”
Australian
Shepherds and Border Collies were bred to help ranchers with their livestock.
From puppyhood, many of them act out those natures in inappropriate and often
hilarious ways. They do what they do because of who they are. We also do what
we do because of who we are. Our old nature was to sin, to please ourselves,
and to act upon every selfish impulse. But when we are born again as children
of God (John
3:3),
He changes our natures (1
Cor. 5:17).
This new nature
hates the sin we once craved. It wants to please God and surrender those
selfish impulses. In this verse, Jesus is identifying His true friends as those
who obey His word. Faith in Christ results in a desire to obey Him, and we do
that because of who we are. Without obedience, we are not His friends, we are
only fans—and He never called us to be fans. Fans talk about Jesus; followers obey Him.
Do you call Jesus “Lord” but refuse to do
what He says?
Let Him change your nature.
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