In the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 6:46), Jesus poses an interesting and piercing question to his followers. He asks, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?”

As I’ve thought about this question, I’ve wondered, first of all, to whom was he addressing it, and second, why did he ask it?

First of all, it seems to me that he’s addressing it to all who claim to be his followers, and at the same time, he’s causing them to think about lordship.

In other words, if I call Jesus my lord, what personal responsibility goes with it? Is “Lord” just a term of respect, or does it have deeper meaning?

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.” He’s talking about obedience, and thus lordship.

Could it be that the real test of our lordship is not just vocal confessions of Jesus as lord, but the utterly sincere and active pursuit of God’s sovereign reign over one’s life?

And could it also be that the secret to a contented and effective Christian life is to simply find out what Jesus wants us to be about and then, whatever it is, to do it well?

My willingness to obey God is a clear measure of how much I really trust him.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses lordship. He writes, “You cannot receive Jesus as your savior only, and later decide to accept or refuse him as your Lord. … For the savior is the Lord, who by his death, has bought us, and therefore owns us.”

W. Ian Thomas in his book, “The Saving Life of Christ,” speaks out on the meaning of lordship.

“The claim that we are in Christ Jesus, and under no condemnation because you have been redeemed, is only valid if it is vindicated by a walk that indicates your new relationship to God.”

Then he concludes with this: “I know of no gospel that offers you salvation from the condemnation of your sin that does not, at the same time, demand a radical change of walk.”

Several years ago, my wife, Ann, and I were invited to share our Christian testimony at a Christian women’s club couples’ banquet in Ohio. As part of that evening’s program, they had invited a man to come and talk about his interesting hobby.

He happened to be a woodcarver. He carved ducks, and he was very good at it. On a table close to us were several ducks he had completed. I remember thinking that if I would reach out and touch one of them, it would fly away.

So after he had explained how he carved ducks, he held up a block of wood with one hand and his carving knife in the other.

Then he said this: “Every one of you here tonight can carve ducks just like I do. All you have to do is carve away everything that doesn’t look like a duck!”

As I’ve since thought about his solution to effective woodcarving, it occurs to me that what he said surely applies to the lordship issue as well.

A good part of turning our lives over to the lordship of Christ involves allowing the Holy Spirit to carve away anything in our lives that would weaken our commitment to serving, obeying and glorifying the Lord Jesus.