Romans 6:16
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Years ago, I was flying back to Chicago, and next to me was seated a man who had starred in a couple blockbuster films in Hollywood. As he and I talked, I tried to witness to him, but he responded that he heard that stuff growing up in his grandmother’s house. I asked him why he left his grandmother’s teachings for his present lifestyle to which he responded, “They had too many rules by which they wanted us to live.” He said, “I wanted my freedom, so I have lived the life I wanted to live.” What this gentleman could not see was that he was still a servant, but he was only a servant to sin. With some of the things he told me about his life, it was sad to see a man who had been enslaved by sin and could not see that sin had caused his tumultuous life.
God teaches us that you are a servant to whoever or whatever you obey. If you obey sin, then you are servant to sin. If you obey God, then you are His servant. As much as this world loves to think that they are free as they live in sin, they do not see that they are still doing exactly what sin commands them to do. There are several thoughts that come to mind as we look at whose servant we really are.
First, you are a servant whether you like it or not. As much as you would like to think that you are not a servant to sin when you do what you want, you still are its servant. You may get to do “what you want to do,” but you are only obeying its commands. If you are not a servant to sin, then why can’t you quit your sin when you want to? It is amazing that when you serve God, He does give you the freedom to quit doing what He commands, but it only leads to heartache. If you choose to listen to your flesh, then you are a servant even though you may think you are free.
Second, each master has a different destination to where they are taking you. If you do what you want and follow sin, then death is your destination. If you make God your master and obey Him, then righteousness will be your destination. The great thing about obeying God is that He leads you into righteousness and the end of righteousness is peace and joy. Friend, the very thing for which you are seeking is found by being a servant to Christ.
Third, you must choose which master you will obey. God does not force Himself upon you, but He gives you a free choice whom you can serve. You can be tired of all the rules that God has for His servants, but you will end up bound in the chords of sin. Look at Samson, Naomi and the prodigal son who thought they had freedom, but when you look at the end of their lives they were broken and marred by sin. Sin always leaves you that way because the end of sin is death. Yes, sin will let you enjoy its “freedom,” but its freedom is bondage and death.
On the other hand, God begs the Christian in Romans 12:1 to “ …present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” God gives you that choice, but yielding yourself to God will bring you the freedom and joy for which you are looking.
Let me encourage you to stop looking for another master. God is the only Master Who truly gives the freedom one desires. You are a servant, but you must wisely choose which master you serve because they all have different destinations to which they will take you. Choose Christ as your master, and you will find the righteous life which leads to a clear conscience, freedom, joy and a destination with no bondage.