Observation: Paul is writing to Roman Christians, and quoting the Torah, in which Moses says, "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart." Paul makes the claim that the "word" is the word of faith, the very first Christian creed: Iesous Kurios. Jesus is Lord.
Application: A lot of times this text is presented as a "minimum requirement" for salvation from a Christian perspective. It's taken to mean that unless you confess, out loud, that Jesus is Lord--YOUR Lord--you will burn in hell for eternity. But being "saved" is a lot more wholistic than where we spend eternity when we eventually die. To be saved is to be saved from yourself: from feeling as though the weight of the world is on your shoulders, that everything hangs on your tiniest decisions, and you'd better not screw it up. To say "Jesus is Lord" is a theological statement, yes, but it's also a personal statement: that I've tried every which way of running my life on my own, and it always leaves me in frustration and despair. I need help.
I do believe that Jesus is Lord of this world, whether I think so on any given day or not. I believe, not just that love will win the day, but that it already has. I don't think this text has some veiled threat to make, about anyone's eternal damnation should they never get around to saying the magic words, "Jesus is Lord." I personally don't believe that's how God works.
Instead, this text is meant as a meal for the hungry, and air for the suffocating: that you don't have to figure life out on your own. If the weight of your life is too heavy, you can give up control. You can ask for help. Maybe you should try. The word is so near you can taste it.
Prayer: Jesus, you aren't just "my" Lord, you are Lord. I believe that in you, heaven and earth meet and are reconciled. Help me use my own words and my own heart to share this news today. Help me give up trying to control everything to my liking, and let you lead me and save me. Amen.
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