Whether you are a leader or a follower, rich or poor, black, brown or white, we are all slaves to something or someone. That is a fact nobody in their right mind can deny.
Slaves
It's a cruel world. We are slaves to many things in it. Stop and think about what you are a slave to. It can be an enlightening experience and something that may need changing to free oneself.
Time
For example, we are slaves to time. We have appointments that demand us to be on time. Tardiness can cause us to be terminated from our jobs.
We have watches and calendars and appointment reminders to assist us in keeping track of our lives.
We have timers on our stoves. If we don't pay attention to proper timing we burn our food. Or we can miss our bus, train or flight.
We have schedules and routines to follow. If we are not careful, we dig a rut for our lives and each day finds us deeper in the bonds of slavery.
Money
We are also slaves to money. For many of us, it can be an uphill battle to save and provide for our loved ones. In today's world, the love of money creates considerable strife. People will do anything to obtain it: kill, lie, cheat, steal and accept bribes.
Without money, we are unable to survive and live in this present world. With too much of it we become arrogant and have no need for others, that is, unless we are using them to make more of it.
With too little money we may suffer hunger and the necessities that help us remain healthy. Also, we may resort to other methods of obtaining it that are illegal.
Society
We are also slaves to our respective society.
We are slaves to our phones, computers and governments. We pay taxes or we go to jail. We pay doctors to keep us healthy while corporations fill our food with toxins.
We are slaves to political parties even though deep in our hearts we know we cannot trust any of them. We are slaves to our jobs we hate.
We are slaves to tyranny and don't give much care to everything we do being monitored. We simply shrug our shoulders and return to pleasures which we are also slaves to - entertainment in all of its forms. Yes, we are slaves to TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime and social media and we are slaves because we allow these mediums to dictate our lives.
Sin
Worst of all, we are slaves to sin.
Not a day passes where we do not commit some type of transgression against God. Some of us do not even recognize it or some of us blow it off and treat it much too lightly.
But I have news for you - our sins killed Jesus. He had to die for us and He did so in obedience to the Father. Without paying the full cost of sin, we would all be punished and rightly so, because God hates sin and cannot look upon it - hence Jesus took our place and paid our price.
Jesus, who created the universe and all that is in it (John 1:1), knew the beginning from the end. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He knew that with free will we would become slaves to the world and all that is in it, and thus slaves to sin.
Sin is no laughing matter to God. We may believe it is but we couldn't be more wrong. In fact, with that type of attitude our eternity does not bode well for us.
Escaping slavery
We have an opportunity to cast off the chains that keep us in slavery. Many won't unshackle themselves, however. They will die in bondage and spend an awful eternity as their lesser but well-deserved reward.
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son" (John 3:18, NIV).
To be condemned is to spend eternity in suffering. "But I already suffer," some will say. Yes, but the coming suffering is unimaginable - something we do not understand the depths of.
Read Luke 16:19-3 and find out.
Why not escape, why not shed the chains of sin and live? It's a decision each of us must make. It's a thoughtful decision, too. We don't simply raise our hand and say, "I believe!" without first counting the cost.
The cost is giving up the world, picking up our cross, serving Jesus as our master, and enduring and being obedient until our final breath. We must persevere - it is a foundational doctrine (teaching) in God's everlasting word.
Those who tell you that life will be grand, rosy, one of wealth and ease and freedom from sickness are liars. Following Christ is no easy task. Obedience is not easy. Suffering for Jesus's sake is not comfortable.
I'll leave you with these well known verses that are so lightly passed over:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV).
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10, NIV).
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jesus 14:6, NIV).
Come to Him today while there is still a today.
All images are courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
and lets not be blinded by thinking staying put in one place is an exception...
Gospel yay!