(Audio)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
It is true that Jesus is LORD. How ready are we to proclaim it and especially to live as if we believe it?
no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit (see First Corinthians 12:3).
May the Holy Spirit come upon us today to deepen our conviction that Jesus is truly LORD. He is, as the creed proclaims "God from God, light from light." He is not just a nice idea that influences people by their beliefs and feelings. He has the genuine power to transform our lives and the world.
Andrew must have sensed this when Jesus was walking by. He must have had a sense of this majesty that is present in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Because the readiness of Andrew's response is not deserved by any merely human person.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
But for one who truly is LORD there is no other response that is appropriate. Slight delay or partial commitment must be shunned entirely.
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (see Luke 9:62).
How ready are we to follow Jesus? How much do we live our lives with him as our LORD? If we live as if he is LORD we will experience his power in our lives. The regular experience of his care will make us ready to speak of him just as Andrew does.
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ) (see John 1:41).
We too have found the Messiah. Let us pause to be amazed, to give thanks, and to invite the Holy Spirit to seal this truth in our hearts. Then let us get about the business of telling everyone we meet about him.