Lord, Lord
I am a fan of the daily Scripture readings of the Church. They nourish me. Just as unity in prayer is powerful so is unity in Bible reading. On a given day millions of people – maybe billions – across the world are reading or hearing the same passages of Scripture. Thank you, Lord!
A verse on 12/3/20 especially spoke to me. Our Lord says in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
This verse hit home. I knew I should treasure these words as Mary did the words of the shepherds at the birth of our Lord.
Our Lord is telling us that knowing his name is not enough; saying his name now and then is not enough; calling on Him in a moment of despair is not enough. Just because you like Jesus and feel a little Christian glow is not enough. Believing you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven does not mean you will.
Our Lord is warning us about spiritual complacency.
I admit to spiritual complacency. I get lazy, don’t pray like I should, work for the Lord without enthusiasm. Or don’t work for Him at all. Too often my pride darkens His light.
Yes, we are saved by grace – I have personally felt the Lord’s glace. But we must cooperate with that grace. Cooperating with that grace is doing the will of our Father in heaven. We must raise the level of our spiritual game, be better disciples, be doers of the word and not just hearers.
Here’s my goal. Each morning when I rise ask the Lord what He wants of me that day. His response should be on the top of my To-Do list. I want to be a faithful disciple, always doing the Father’s will, especially for those least brothers of His. (Mt 25:40)