Who will you serve in life? This choice has consequences in this life and the next. John Spence writes, “What you do today determines who you will be tomorrow.” [1] While this quote seems obvious, most people don’t live life with intentionality.
It takes eating better and exercising to be in better physical condition. Similarly, it takes effort to grow in your relationship with the Lord. Relationships with people take time, and our relationship with the Lord is similar.
At the end of the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, we learn that Joshua and his family were determined they would serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. [2] As a faithful leader, Joshua knew the importance of leading by example and how His actions would affect other people’s relationships with the Lord.
Will You be a Slave to Sin or Righteousness?
Paul gives us challenging insights into the ramifications of serving sin or righteousness. Romans 6:19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. [3]
When we think of slavery, it has negative connotations based on world history, but Paul uses this word to help us understand how sin and righteousness affect us. In a spiritual sense, everyone is a slave. We are slaves to sin, which leads to death when we don’t know Jesus as our Savior. Or we are slaves to Christ when He is our Savior. As believers in Jesus, we are not to remain in habitual sin because we died to sin.
Being Set Free
When we are set free from the sin of slavery, we take Christ’s yoke upon our shoulders. This requires discipline as we become disciples of Jesus. It is easy to follow our sinful nature, but it takes prayer, submission, and willingness to be led in righteousness.
True repentance is coming to the end of ourselves, turning from our sins and toward the Lord. When we do, we put on a new life in Christ. We discover our true purpose in life when we serve the Lord.
Mark 8: 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.[4] Being a slave to righteousness occurs as we make everyday decisions to listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide us. As we let the Lord guide us, days turn into weeks, months, and years; over time, we don’t recognize how we once lived life.
Who will you serve? Listen here to learn more:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/believe-which-master
[1] https://quotefancy.com/quote/1698030/John-Spence-What-you-do-today-determines-who-you-will-be-tomorrow
[2-4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.