Willingly Obey Christ

We are servants of Christ our Master.

Jesus not only told His twelve disciples to follow Him but everyone who heard His message. Jesus is our Master; we are to do His will. Our faithfulness will be determined by how fully we obey His words.

If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him (John 12:26).

1) Description of a Servant

In Jesus’ day, a servant and a slave were the same thing. They were owned by the Master. The slave existed to do his master’s will. The disciples never hesitated to do the will of the Lord Jesus. They asked Him questions, but they obeyed Him partially out of deference and partly out of trust. They believed Jesus would lead them in the right way and He always did.

2) Discerning your Master

We need to examine our own lives. Is Christ really our master? Do we really submit to Him? Jesus Himself told us that the one to whom we submit is our master.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34).

... By what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved (2 Peter 2:19).

3) Deciding on One Master

Many of us struggle with someone being our master. So many seek our service or loyalty! A servant, however, cannot serve two or more masters. He must be loyal to one. Clearly identify any struggles and make your commitment clear.

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).

4) Deliverance to Serve Christ alone!

Christ in fact has set us free from complying to our selfish desires. The sinful nature that produces those desires is called the ‘flesh’ or ‘old man.’ Through faith in Christ, we are freed from ourselves to serve God instead. “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). The desires might be there, but we don’t have to follow them.

Christ is our new master. We are no longer obligated to follow the flesh’s desires. You might be tempted to lie, steal or follow sexual lusts. These desires are trying to claim your obedience. Instead focus on your obligation to follow Christ. Reject the feelings and thoughts of those desires. Set your mind on Christ through the Holy Spirit and your promised obligation to serve Him.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6).

Application: Are you aware of the tension created by your old desires trying to make you serve them? How did you respond to the last temptation you faced?

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