Darlene sighed as she straightened. “There,” she said, “The weeds are gone.”

Brandi looked around. “There’s still so much to do. I wonder why the lady let her yard get so bad. Good thing you decided to help her.”

Darlene brushed the dirt off her jacket. “Well, Mr. Evans asked me to so here I am. I’m going to go ask what he wants me to do next.”

Brandi pointed. “I don’t know Mr. Evans but I’m happy to help out. I’ll trim those bushes. I don’t know if spring is the right season, but it’s easier to trim the branches before the leaves start growing. “

“He didn’t say anything about the bushes but I guess it’s okay. It does need to be done.” Darlene opened the back gate. “Be back soon.”

Brandi put on a pair of gloves and picked up the shears just as a man walked through the back gate. He waved when he saw her and headed in her direction.

“Hi, Seth! You made it!”

Seth nodded, “I couldn’t let my friend do all this by herself, could I?” He looked around. “You’re not kidding. This place is a mess.”

“Darlene said that Mr. Evans said it needed to be cleaned up. I pulled the weeds and am about to trim the bushes.”

“I think the patio needs to be hosed and scrubbed, too. I’ll go do that.”

“Good idea.” Brandi walked to the side fence and began snipping the bush branches while Seth found a broom in the shed and began sweeping.

By the time Darlene returned, the bushes were trimmed, the patio clean, the raised garden bed filled with compost and topsoil, and the leaves raked.

“Wow,” Darlene called to the two friends. “You’ve done so much!”

“Where have you been?” Brandi asked. “I thought you were just going to ask Mr. Evans what to do next.”

“I did ask him. He told me to help the people in the front yard first. They were planting a tree and needed another set of hands. And then to come back here and check for dog poop.”  She walked to the shed. “There’s supposed to be a poop-scooper in here.”

“Ew,” Brandi held her nose. “You can have that job. I’m going to clean the patio furniture.” She called to Seth, “Did you happen to see a bucket and some rags in the shed when you were in there?”

“Yes, the rags are on the shelf and there’s a bucket next to the door.”

The clanging of a dinner bell stopped all three helpers.

“Yay!” Darlene cheered. “Time for lunch!” She headed for the back door.

“I’m starving!” Brandi said as she joined Darlene.

“Me, too.!” Seth echoed as he joined the girls.

The back door opened just as they got there.

Mr. Evans motioned to Darlene. “Come and get it! The barbeque chicken is hot on the stove and there are fresh rolls from the oven.”

Darlene grinned and entered the house. Seth and Brandi tried to follow but Mr. Evans stopped them.

“Sorry, but this is for friends and family only.”

“But we helped out! Didn’t we trim the bushes, pull weeds, clean the patio and rake the leaves?”

Mr. Evans shook his head. “I don’t know you. ” He pointed to the back gate .”You’ll need to leave.” Then he went inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

---

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who des the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And I will declare to them, ‘I never know you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

When I read Matthew 7:21-23, I’m struck by two things. One is that Jesus told these people who did things in His name that He never knew them. The other is that He attached the word ‘many’ to that. Does that mean many church-going Christians are not going to make it into the kingdom of heaven? That thought is sobering.

Doing things in the name of Jesus is not the same thing as making Him Lord of your life. You can go to church, sign up for mission trips, help out in community outreach programs, and take food to the homebound without submitting yourself to His Lordship. Without this submission, all you have is religion. Religion does not get you into heaven. Only Jesus can do that – and only when you’ve made Him your Lord and Savior.

Lord AND Savior, not Lord OR Savior.

Making Him Lord is not reciting a certain prayer or just calling Him Lord. Making Him Lord means to give yourself to Him heart, soul and body. You put yourself under His Lordship. You don’t live for yourself anymore – you live for Him. You give up what you want to do and do what He tells you to do.

Have you done that? Does Jesus know you?

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5