"No, Lord!" in the Same Breath?

"Then Jesus came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.' Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.' Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!'"
(John 13:6-9)

Peter said to Jesus, "You shall never wash my feet!" In essence, he said, "No, Lord!"

Peter had a lesson to learn. Jesus wanted him to understand that a disciple of Jesus Christ cannot say, "No, Lord!" in the same breath. The words 'No' and 'Lord' cancel out each other.

Let me explain.

If the Lord asks you to do something and your answer is "No!", then He is not your Lord. Right? You cannot give Jesus the title 'Lord' while saying 'no' to the things He asks of you. Doing so strips Him of the authority in Your life.

Does that make sense? It's actually pretty simple - I didn't say painless - but, this is a very simple truth. There is a vast difference between calling Jesus, "Savior" and calling Him, "Lord".

When we ask Him to be Lord, we recognize His supreme authority over us and we set our hearts and minds to obey Him. He is not a beautiful concept and something we do on Sunday mornings. He is Lord of lords, Master of the Universe!

That's what Peter had to come to terms with. Jesus said to him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with me." And Peter very enthusiastically replied, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"

Peter learned his lesson.
Jesus wanted to be Lord over ALL things pertaining to Peter.

And, Jesus wants all of you, too.

Jeremiah 7:23 reads, "But this is what I commanded them, saying, "Obey My voice and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you."

Take my life, Lord and let me be found in You.

Lord, We use that powerful title so easily, as though it were some trivial tidbit of knowledge. Forgive us, Lord. How Your children must sadden and frustrate You with their self-righteous notions! Forgive us!! Cleanse us, Lord and help us bring honor and glory to Your Name. I want to walk in the knowledge that You are Lord, consistently and without question. Help Your children to no longer be naive about Your authority. Open our eyes, Lord that we might see Your truth.