Many forces in the world vie for control over our lives. The question is, who do we give it to? As Christians, the answer should be Jesus. Jesus will never force His will upon us or coerce us into obeying Him; however, He does want us to voluntarily relinquish our will to His will. He does not want us to be His slaves, but He does want us to freely serve Him. This is why Jesus came to this earth. He came to save us by freeing us from the slavery of sin and accept us as His voluntary servants. Paul was referring to this when he wrote the following:
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8).
After Jesus ascended back to the Father, and the gospel was preached on the day of Pentecost, those captive to sin were set free when they heard and obeyed the gospel of Christ. Those same people, set free from the law of sin (Romans 7:23), became servants of Christ, and such has been the case with every person who has ever obeyed the gospel. Listen to Romans 6:17-18.
“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. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Now, to truly be a servant of Christ is to allow Him to guide and direct you in life. Being a servant of Christ means you surrender control to Him. Read Galatians 2:20 and see whether or not this is what Paul did.
Is Jesus your heavenly Master? Who is in control of your life? Too many times we turn control over to someone or something other than Jesus. Sometimes we take control. If pleasing self overrides everything else in life, you have taken the reins out of the hands of Jesus and into your own hands. When you make decisions in life, do you first think about what you want and will make you happy, or do you first consider what Jesus would have you do? How you honestly answer that question will go a long way in revealing who is in control of your life—Jesus or you.
Sometimes we relinquish control of our lives to our peers. Not a few bad decisions have been made by people who have been pressured by their peers. Many have done things that they know to be wrong because they get too caught up in wanting to make their friends happy. All of a sudden they are being controlled by a desire to be popular, which usually necessitates compromising values, and giving in to the unscrupulous whims of those who are a part of the “in-crowd.” This is not new. In the days of Jesus, some of the Jewish leaders knew the right thing to do was to follow Him, but they would not do it because they allowed themselves to be controlled by the people around them (John 12:42-43).
Sometimes people give control to drugs or alcohol. It is a shame that we live in a society where drugs and alcohol are so accessible. New drugs are popping up all the time. Many lives are ruined, many crimes are committed, and many families are destroyed because of drug use. Let me say to any young people reading this, stay away from drugs and alcohol. I do not care how many people you know who dabble in drugs just a little. Do not experiment with them. Do not get started just so you can be a part of the “in crowd.” Your first drink, sniff, puff, or shot might be the one that causes you to lose control. Take the advice of the scriptures. Eleven times in the New Testament we are exhorted to be sober, i.e., to be of a sound mind. Do not give that up for anyone.
There are other things that we give control to as well (money, occupation, recreation, etc.). Do not let any of these things control you. Follow Jesus, and let Him have control. He will lead you to good decisions now and eternal life after a while.