A man or woman is a slave to whatever has mastered them. (2 Peter 2:19)
Building on his first letter, Peter lets rip against the false prophets that threaten the faith of his hearers. These false teachers preach false doctrine and have left the straights way; they are blots and blemishes and springs without water. The language is as vivid as it is confronting! They promise freedom, but are themselves slaves to depravity (2:19). Peter goes on to make the point that we are ALL slaves - we all serve some master. The question is which.
Back in the late 70's the mercurial Bob Dylan released an album dripping with Christian themes called Slow Train Coming. One of the tracks was 'Gotta Serve Somebody.' He sings:
You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
We've all got to serve somebody, or something. We are mastered by our own desires, or God's desires for us. Sometimes (often?) we flip-flop between the two. But while Jesus is my friend and my saviour, his sacrificial life, death and resurrection demands that he be my Lord. He challenges me to daily take uo my cross and follow (dying to self) and to take his yoke upon me (live for Christ). I am to be mastered by him and him alone.
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