Serving The Master
"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" Romans 6;16
This phrase has seen its use in our world far too often; yet sometimes, not enough. We know the history of servitude and slavery in which the owners of the slaves were called the master. Sometimes the oldest son in a household was called the master because the real master, the father was not around to see things were done properly. Sometimes it is used in titles, as in Mr, Mrs, Miss, or Master. I guess this explains who runs the house for many families.
Sometimes we call the master "the boss" or "the man". No matter how we use it, it has reference to the person who has the authority over you or someone else.
While we may not practice slavery as our country once did, that is not to say that slavery is abolished. There are literally thousands of young people who are slaves in the industry of sex. They are forced into doing sexual acts and if they refuse, they are killed. This is a multi-billion dollar industry, because if there was no making of money, they would not do this.
But let us shift our focus upon serving the true Master of our lives. And just in case you need to hear it, the true master is not you. It is not me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the Master that we need to obey. He is the One who speaks, and we must listen, and obey. He is the One who tells us what is right and wrong, and how we need to behave in all walks of life.
The goal of the Christian is to serve Christ, and one of our duties is to help others see the benefit in serving Christ. Luckily for us, this Master will bless us for a job well done.
We discussed ants the other evening. We learned that all of them exist to serve the queen of the colony, and all of them work for the benefit of the colony. They all willingly sacrifice themselves if it will help the colony. The writers in the Proverbs describe the work ethic of ants and the fact that though so small, can accomplish great tasks. We may think that we are insignificant in this world, but if we work with others to accomplish our goal, it can be done.
Our work is to do the Master's will. Our job is to see that the Master prospers, and that we look out for His interest. The Master always takes top priority in everything. That is the way it is supposed to be.
Sadly, many people feel they are only here to be served. They do not work for anyone other than themselves. They do not consider the plight of the needy or sick, and selfishness is their motto.
Jesus spoke of trying to serve two masters and said it was impossible. Some Christians claim to serve Christ, but they live like they are serving Satan. See, it is impossible to serve both God and mankind. It is impossible to serve God when other things take a higher priority as far as we are concerned. Even if the other things are family, jobs, recreation, or doing something good for others. Whenever we push Christ and God aside, we are not serving our Master. Jesus is our Master, and He will be the Savior of those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8-9). For those who refuse to obey Him, He will tell them to depart because he does not know them (Matthew 7:23).
By Carey Scott

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