Captive to Jesus

Romans 8:5-8 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

A young woman approached me yesterday and said, "You make living for Jesus look easy." I said, "Well Praise the Lord, because if you see me that way it means that He has exchanged my life for His in a visible way. It is becoming evident that I live captive to His Lordship. That means I am dying to myself and He is obviously living through me." She asked, "Is that easy, because I am struggling?" This next part was my explanation.

Living to please God may seem like a daunting task. And for some it is, you are not alone. It was like that for me, many years. It can be in the areas of sin I want to hold onto. However, I am without excuse in those areas because I do know better. Some people struggle to live up to a list of do’s and don'ts. Many try to obtain God's favor through philanthropic acts of kindness and compassion. There are those who attempt to "appease" God for their sinful behavior by going to church or making a confession to a man. I quoted Romans 8:5-8, from a chapter I have memorized. In fact this entire chapter lets us know that it is possible to live a life that is pure and pleasing to God, with freedom - that is "easy."

Paul often identified himself as a slave of Jesus Christ in his writings. He used the word "doulos," which means "servant by choice." The doulos was a slave offering their freedom to the servitude of another. The doulos chose slavery because he or she knew being bound to ta specific Master's care would lead to a better life. The slave knew his/her life was in better hands if given to the right master, than in his own. Jesus, is the Master we offer our lives and autonomy to. He promises to actually set us free, indeed.

The only way to be free is to be "bound" to Jesus. Unless you completely surrender your life to the Lord, all of your efforts to live for Jesus are burdensome and not "easy." The sin nature will continue to drag you down and condemn you when you don't "do everything for Jesus" just right. If you are "bound" to Jesus you are led by the Holy Spirit (v.5), you serve God free from condemnation (v.1) in complete love. You understand that the blood took care of sin, completely - Yes we still sin and we are told to confess it (1 John 1:9); but not be condemned by it. When you are a bond servant you understand Christ resurrection gave you freedom to live life "easy" (Matthew 11:28-30). It doesn't mean life isn't tough. Persecution, tribulations and trials are a part of the work of setting us free to becoming completely captive to Jesus.