Jesus: Savior AND Lord!

by Mary Wilkey
(Ohio, USA)

Is Jesus Your Savior AND Lord?

Have you received Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Or is He your Savior only? In other words, is He the Lord of your life, as well as being your Savior?

I think people tend to lump these two offices together, when they are two separate and distinct functions.

A savior is one who rescues someone from something. A savior is not necessarily a lord, nor is a lord necessarily a savior.

A lord, according to dictionary.com, is a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. It also states that a "lord" is a person who exercises authority over property rights; an owner of land, houses, etc.

And finally, that site also states that "Lord" refers to the Supreme Being; Jehovah.

Personally, I don't think people give a lot of thought to it when they say that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. I hold this opinion, because observation tells me that very few really give Him the status of Lord.

In John 6:68, Peter asked of Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go?"

Mary and Martha called Him Lord in John 11:32, 34, 39. And Peter, in John 13:6 and 9, addressed Him as Lord when He started to wash his feet.

Then, in John 13:13, Jesus said, "You call me Master and Lord: and you say well, for so I am."

His disciples called Him Lord as a matter of course and accorded Him the love and respect due Him as Lord. Should we do any less?

That very few really accord Jesus the status of Lord is evident in how they spend their time. Although quite a few people "attend" church, i.e., they put time in sitting in a pew on Sunday morning, maybe Sunday evening, and even one or two other nights a week.

These people feel compelled to "put in an appearance" on a regular basis. And that's fine . . . nothing wrong with that. However, and this is a big "however," if that is the extent of their time allotted to our Lord, it is not enough!

It's kind of like a mother I knew years ago when my kids were in Little League. Wanda had four children, each on a different ball team. She spent her time driving her children to their practices and games, but not once that I ever saw was she able to watch any of her children play one entire game.

She meant well, but she gave no quality time to any of them, so that neither she nor any of her children gave or received undivided attention.

My point is this: If you love someone, and especially if you call that person "lord," then you will see to it that you set aside exclusive time to spend with him and him alone.

This is particularly true in the case of our Lord Jesus! He demonstrated His great Love for us. The very least we can do is to acknowledge that horrendous sacrifice by spending quality time alone with Him, and not just a time or two a week, but every single day that we live and breathe.

If you make time for everything else, including hours in front of the tube or the computer or at ball games, or whatever, and then claim that you have no time to spend reading and studying your Bible or praying or worshiping Him, then you are just kidding yourself. You need to re-prioritize your time!

If you fail to spend quality time with Him, Jesus may be your Savior, but He is NOT your Lord! Wake up before it is too late! He did His part in redeeming and saving your soul. You need to do your part by worshiping Him as Savior AND Lord.