"I Am A Servant" by Larry Norman

This beautiful song of devotion to Christ ought to be our most sincere prayer to him. Enjoy this touching and profound song here:

Jesus himself told his disciples to watch and wait. By extension, we being his disciples too, we must also be ready with our eyes and ears open.

Christ likened his return to us as like the bride groom coming to his home. As he directed his disciples  in Luke 12:35 and 36 (Bible in Basic English), "Be ready, dressed as for a journey, with your lights burning. And be like men who are looking for their lord, when he comes back from the bride-feast; so that when he comes to the door, it will be open to him quickly."

According to John MacArthur, the original Greek word for servant actually meant slave. This is because he bought us with his atoning sacrifice on the cross. 

We read in 1 Corinthians 6:20 (BBE) that, "For a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body." In other words, we're Christ's property.

That being true, we must obey him always. As Paul wrote in Romans 6:16-18 (BBE), "Are you not conscious that you are the servants of him to whom you give yourselves to do his desire? if to sin, the end being death, or if to do the desire of God, the end being righteousness. But praise be to God that though you were the servants of sin, you have now given yourselves freely to that form of teaching under which you were placed; And being made free from sin you have been made the servants of righteousness."

If this sounds irksome to you, remember Christ's words in John 8:36 (BBE). "If then the son makes you free, you will be truly free."

Can We Make Christ Our Lord?

I hear many preachers say we must "make" Christ our Lord. While the sentiment is noble, the premise is wrong. What I mean is that we can't make Christ our Lord because he already is.

When we call Christ our Lord, it means we submit to him and obey what he says. As he told his disciples in John 13:13 (KJV), "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am."

Since we're Christ's disciples, we must heed what our teacher teaches us. Like he said in Luke 6:46 (KJV), "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

Being Christ's also means that we belong to him. He bought us with his blood from the slave market of sin. As Paul aptly pointed out in 1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV),  "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

Likewise, Romans 6:17 (KJV) explains, "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."

The trouble is that many professing churchgoers only want the side benefits of "receiving" Christ but they don't want to obey his commandments. As he said in Matthew 7:21 (KJV), "Not every one that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Furthermore, we are given this ability to obey his holy edicts. Philippians 2:13 (KJV) says, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

But we aren't unwilling slaves to our Lord, as if we were forced to serve him. John 14:15 (KJV) says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Obeying out of love for our Master is so much better than obeying out of fear. I'll emphasize this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? So many churchgoers want only a form of fire insurance against going to hell. But only those who love Christ will be saved.

I think you'll enjoy my Saturday Song choice. It aligns perfectly with the theme of churchgoers verses true Christians.