Many Christians believe that if they simply call upon the Lord they will be saved.
Yet the Lord warned that simply saying His name was not enough.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21
To enter into the kingdom we must do God's will. How can we do His will? It begins with belief. To truly call upon Him, we must first believe in Him.
"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? " Romans 10:13
But what is true belief in God?
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also. ..." John 14:12
If we truly believe in Christ, we do everything He did. Christ's works were the manifestation of the Father's will.
"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." John 5:19
To call upon the Lord, to truly believe, we must do His works, manifesting the will of God the Father in our lives. The key to being able to do God's will is to love Christ and the Father. When we love them, it is the motivating force that helps us to do God's will.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." John 14:23-24
Calling upon, and belief in God, is so much more than words that pass over our lips. It is a deep commitment and love for Christ and the Father, and working to align ourselves with their will.