Whom do We Serve?

by Jeff Curtis

     In John 8:31, Jesus speaks of the “Truth” making you free. The Jews responded to this statement by saying, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” (v.33). The Jews were a proud people and they had understood throughout the history of the Old Testament that they were God’s chosen people. Yet, Jesus was ushering in a New Covenant. In order to be a participant in this New Covenant, they would have to learn submission.

     Submission: 1) the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. 2) an act of surrendering to a hold by one's opponent. 3) humility; meekness. With all of these definitions, the Jews were going to have to change their lives. They viewed themselves, even under Roman bondage, as being freemen.

    The same is true with you and I today. We have a choice to make. Who we will serve? Will we serve the “Truth” that makes us free or will we serve that which is offered by the world?

   John speaks of the three “avenues of temptation” in 1John 2:15-17, and tells us that we have a choice to make. If we give in to these avenues of temptation, then we are serving the world. He says after describing these avenues that they are of the world and not of the Father. “16…is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

    There are any number of ways that we can give in to these avenues. As individuals, we are to allow the Truth to set us free. This world, not being of the Father, is more than willing to lure us with things that are only enticing to us. When we love the praise of this world it becomes easier to do the things that please the world.

     Paul said in Romans 6:16; “¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” He tells us that we HAVE to make a choice. The choice we make will determine who we serve, our Father or the Devil. Remember, the devil is the Father of lies and wants to believe that the offerings of the world are good, innocent and rewarding.

    Some things that the world offers are good, but as Christians, we must refrain from doing them. They may be innocent, but do they bring honor and glory to our Father in heaven? If they are rewarding, then who are we seeking a reward from? If we are going to wear the name Christian, then we are live, act, work, dress and talk in a way that brings Him honor.

     Paul stated in 1Thessalonians 4:1; “Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ² for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.” Paul is here making a plea for spiritual purity. Are we living a life of spiritual purity?

     Who do you serve? Are you the Father’s children? If so, does it show in your life as an individual Christian? Does it show in your life when you are on the job? Does it show in how we serve the Lord each week? Does it show in the way we raise our children?

Three More Days…

by Jeff Curtis

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. (As defined by the Mayo Clinic).

More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it. Depression may require long-term treatment. But don't get discouraged. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy or both. (ibid).

When we think of depression, we should understand that we can all be susceptible to being affected by it. It can affect our lives from a variety of things taking place around us. The world we live in may cause us to become depressed, especially if peer pressure becomes too great. People can be extremely cruel, and sometimes they may be in our closest circle of acquaintances.

They may think they have the “best” of intentions, but we should realize that not everyone takes criticism as well as others. When criticism is offered, we look at it and call it “constructive”, but it is still criticism.

I often think about Judas. You know, the disciple that betrayed Jesus? I wondered what he may have thought about his betrayal of our Lord. The Gospels all give an account of Jesus calling the twelve, and each account mentions Judas as, “the one who betray Him” (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:9; Luke 6:16; John 6:71). Have you ever considered why Judas was the one who held the money for the twelve and for Christ? I mean, Matthew was the “accountant” of the group, why was he not entrusted with the money?

This may have caused the others to question not only Jesus, and His decision, but also Judas. After all, Judas would question the use of oils and aromas used on Jesus’ feet, (John 12:3). The others may have had suspicions about Judas.

Do you think Judas may have picked up on these “feelings?” Do you suppose this could been the opportunity the devil was looking for? To cause Judas to become so depressed that he would take opportunity to do something so drastic as to betray our Lord?

We know the end result of Judas and betrayal of Christ. In Matthew 27:3, Judas makes an attempt to make things right by returning the silver back the chief priests and elders, making this statement; “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” It almost sounds as though he had just realized how desperate he had become, and now he knew he had made a mistake.

He may become depressed from what he may have thought the other disciples were saying or thinking about him. He may have thought he had no other option. And the only thing he could was to betray the Lord. Then…, he felt he was in too deep, and the only thing left for him was drastic measures. They wouldn’t take the silver back, what would everyone else think?

If Judas could only have waited three more days. Because in three days his Lord and Savior would have raised from the tomb. Proving there is a resurrection. Proving there was forgiveness. Some may say that he couldn’t be forgiven, but with Jesus anything was possible.