You Gotta Serve Somebody

 

In 1979, that great theologian and song writer, Bob Dylan, wrote and released his song, Gonna' Serve Somebody. OK, so Dylan is not a theologian but the lyrics to the song make a lot of sense and sound a lot like the writings of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter six. To sum up what Dylan wrote in those lyrics, no matter who you are and what you do, you are going to serve somebody.  Part of those lyrics say, "It might be the devil or the Lord" and those words are basically what Paul was saying in chapter six of Romans.

And, when we seriously consider that, we have to know it's true. We are either serving the Lord or we are serving something else and anything else is like serving the devil. But right away, people will resist that and tell you they are not serving the devil. But the truth is if they are devoting more time to anything other than God, they are not serving Him, they are serving whatever that anything else is. The first of the Ten Commandments says, and I paraphrase, "You shall have no other gods before me." (EX 20:3) That verse means exactly what it says; you will have no other gods ahead of me or, in front of me or other than me. God is saying, "I must be first in your life." Of everything we might have in our lives such as family, job, friends or anything else which might exist, God must be first. And, as Christians, why wouldn't we want that? When you go to the secular work place, you should really want God with you. Some work places can have an evil atmosphere. The presence of the Lord in those types of work places can make a big difference. I have worked in those types of places and believe me, it makes a difference.

Now, there are always going to be those things in our lives which will demand the top billing and all the attention if we allow them to. It can be anything from our job and career, our spouses, our families, our hobbies or even politics. In our current society and culture, politics is a major player. I don't think I have in my lifetime, and cannot remember, this nation being so divided by political agendas. Many of the mainstream internet news sites have removed the ability to comment on articles they publish because it has got so far out of hand. People post some pretty mean and hateful stuff.  Even on the Christian sites, you can find the hateful comments which are always leaning toward a political slant.

I came across a Facebook post which basically said that Christians need to continue to speak their minds on political matters and not be silenced by other Christians who believe the opposite. So, what is a Christian to do? I firmly believe any person, or Christian person, should be aware of what is going on within government activities but not to the extent it becomes a priority in their lives. Remember, God demands to be first in your life. So, for example, as a Christian, are you on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform to make political statements or to spread the gospel and God's word?

I know, at times, it can be hard to hold back a comment about something you strongly disagree with but first, stop for a few minutes before you start typing and think about what you want to say. Then, if you still feel so strongly about it, make your comment but I really think most of the time, you will not make the comment. Taking that time to reconsider will allow you to think it through and your better judgement will hold you back. But this is not about social media etiquette, it's about who or what comes first in your Christian life. Remember what Dylan  and Paul said? You're gonna' serve somebody. In the case of politics, does it have a priority in your life? Does it rank above Jesus? Be honest with yourself and consider the amount of time you spend talking or posting about politics versus the time you spend reading or studying the Bible. Does church rank higher on your Sunday morning agenda or does the Sunday news programs have that priority? Can you attend a church service or Bible study without talking politics? Trust me, I have seen it and heard it so, I'm not exaggerating. 

This is just my personal opinion but I would rather tell people about Jesus and His word than tell them about the latest political controversy. Some will say, "Oh, but we have to stand up to the evil in this country and save it." Well, guess what? The word of God and heaven will last for all eternity and this country and the rest of the world is doomed to burn and go up in flames. I can't ever remember hearing about a person getting saved because someone clued them in to the latest political hot topic. But people are saved all the time by hearing the gospel and all about what Jesus did for us. Am I saying as a Christian we shouldn't be talking about the political situation in this country or your home state? No, but it should be kept in balance. If you're out of balance it should certainly be because you spend more time with Jesus than politics or any other agenda in your life. We, as Christians, should be wise and should be able to tell people why we believe what we believe (1 Pet 3:15).

I ask you to understand that it's not always politics, it can be sports, TV, social media or any other thing which might push Jesus aside and take that top spot in our lives. But the more time we spend reading and studying the Bible and being in Bible studies and church services, the closer to God we will get and He will always be in that top spot. Don't allow anything to take God away as the priority in our lives. And for those who absolutely believe I'm out of whack, I simply challenge you to turn of the 24 hour news feed and stay off of social media for a week and spend that week in serious Bible study and prayer and then see how much of a priority that worldly thing is. But it must be a committed effort in order to see the change.

I could quote statistics of how much time Christians spend watching TV as compared to reading the Bible or how much time they spend on social media as compared to church attendance and reading the Bible or time in prayer. I will spare you the boredom but I will say this; Whatever the activity is, it far outweighs any time devoted to God. That is a sad thing for the Church in this country. Some Christians, not all, are more involved in the current political realm in this country than they are the word of God. They can quote every statement made by any given politician than a verse from the Bible. They can throw sports stats at you all day long but can't find a specific Bible verse when asked to. 

I will be the first to admit there is a serious problem in this country as far as politics is concerned but I would rather tell you about the sad state of the Churcch in this country. Some Christians are bible illiterates. Their involvement in the political world or their favorite sports team or league has taken the priority in their lives. Could they explain to a lost soul how to be saved or what Jesus has done for us? Are their lives displaying any spiritual fruit or would their lives serve as a witness to any person who is not saved? The sad answer is, no. 

The most important thing we can have as a priority in our Christian lives is Jesus. And, telling the world of lost souls about Him far and away supersedes anything else we can say. Are you on a social media platform to complain, spread the latest political item or controversy? Or are you using that platform to tell others about Jesus? The bottom line is He is the most important thing we can tell others about. Did Jesus talk politics or football with those He reached out to? No, He spoke about Himself, the Father and heaven. In John 3, He told Nicodemus how to be saved. He didn't discuss his participation as a member of the religious/political council. The Apostle Paul's ministry was performed while under the stern rule of the Caesars. Did he complain and make speeches against them? No, he simply preached the gospel and that included his preaching it to Caesar. Well, I've said plenty here but I would like to close with the words of Paul, 

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...    1 Cor. 15:1-4  NASB

 Bill Petite