Gotta Serve Somebody

Choose you this day who you will serve.

You gotta serve somebody

Bobby Dylan wrote the lyrics to “You Gotta Serve Somebody” and sang it to a catchy tune decades ago. On his album Slow Train Coming, he recognized the choices we make that influence where we end up. With examples throughout the stanzas, he concluded each one with this refrain:

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

What does it mean to be a slave to serve somebody?

The term “slave” typically refers to a person who is owned by another person and is forced to work for them without pay or freedom. Slavery has been practiced throughout history in various forms, and it has often been associated with forced labor, exploitation, and dehumanization.

In the context of the Bible, the term “slave” is often used to describe the relationship between a person and God. This usage is not meant to imply ownership or exploitation, but rather a voluntary submission to God’s authority and will. As Christians, we are called to serve God and obey His commands, and this involves a willingness to submit to Him and follow His guidance.

Being a “slave” of God does not mean that we are forced to serve Him against our will or that we are denied our freedom or dignity as human beings. Rather, it means that we recognize God’s authority over our lives and choose to submit to Him out of love and devotion. That IS the same as surrendering to His Holy Spirit who is a Person who lives inside us, leading us and working through us, not by our own individual effort to please God. In this sense, being a “slave” of God is a voluntary act of obedience and a recognition of His sovereignty and goodness.

That is the mystery! A real, living Person lives inside of us to supernaturally live the Christian life. No longer are we dependent upon our own earnings (wages). Instead, that gift is there for us to accept, no payment or earning to be “good enough” works (Romans 6:23).

Patterns are habits and choices to follow one or the other

There really are only 2 choices: Follow the flesh or follow the Spirit. Romans 8:6 [bold] in verses 5–11 clarifies what that means.

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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

There is nothing new under the sun and “You are a new creation” seem like a paradox. However, the difference is in the vowel, sun and Son. These two words are homophones, words pronounced the same, but are different in meaning or derivation or spelling.

That explains the suface paradox of what seems like opposites— unchanging versus changing from old to new — but in reality is a universal Truth. A paradox is a statement or situation that appears to be contradictory or absurd, but which may reveal a deeper truth or insight. In the case of these two statements, they might seem like a paradox because they appear to contradict each other. However, they can be reconciled by recognizing that they refer to different aspects of reality. While it is true that there is nothing truly new under the sun in terms of human experience and history, it is also true that a person’s identity can be transformed through their faith in God.

The statement “there is nothing new under the sun” refers to the idea that everything in the world has been seen, heard, or experienced before. It comes from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, where the author reflects on the fleeting nature of life and the cycle of human existence. The statement is often used to express the idea that history repeats itself, and that there are no truly original ideas or experiences.

On the other hand, the statement “you are a new creation” comes from the Bible as well, specifically from 2 Corinthians 5:17. It refers to the idea that when a person becomes a Christian, they are “born again” and become a new person in Christ. This new identity is based on their faith in Jesus Christ and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.

Whose slave are you?

Diving deeper into the quadrants on a graph indicates paradoxical Truths.

Quadrant I — That is where you are becoming more like Christ. The closer to the center going up in a +,+ direction, the more you are being sanctified, defined as “holy.” That means you are moment-by-moment desiring to follow the Lord instead of the flesh that leads to death.

Quadrant II — Deception reigns. Satan was once an angel of light who was thrown out of heaven because he wanted to replace God Almighty. He is still trying. His plan is to divide, deceive, and destroy Jesus’ followers and divert anyone who seeks to follow Jesus. In Luke 10:18 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Got questions?

In referencing Satan’s fall from heaven, Jesus most likely had in mind Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” The fall of Satan that Jesus saw happened after Lucifer’s sin, before Adam and Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. In his pride, Lucifer had lifted himself up, but God had cast him down out of his original place in heaven (although he retains a limited access to heaven for now, according to Job 1:6). Jesus’ statement in Luke 10:18 speaks of Jesus’ pre-existence and the Lord’s defeat over the power of Satan in a general sense.

Quadrant III — Just the complete opposite of Quadrant I, you are in the devil’s plan becoming more like him. Paradise is lost. Misery ensues. No encouragement to become like Jesus exists when there is “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” That means resisting the call of God through Jesus Christ which is the only sin that cannot be forgiven. There is no acceptance of the free gift of salvation.

Quadrant IV — “I did it my way” is the status quo of this -,+ section where works look good to imitate what only the Holy Spirit can do for you. Another name for it is legalism. Seeking to be “good enough” is never good enough to reach God. There is no ladder to climb to earn enough points to be accepted on our own merit.

Restoration arrives by an intentional decision before the slow train coming

If you are relying on earning wages by your works rather than being motivated by surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit leading you, stop striving in your own strength. Do these 5 things:

• Embrace the truth that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned through our works.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in your daily decisions and actions.
• Seek to cultivate a deeper relationship with God through prayer, worship, and study of His Word.
• Trust in God’s provision and timing, rather than trying to manipulate circumstances to achieve your own goals.
• Be willing to surrender your own desires and plans to the will of God, trusting that His ways are higher than ours.

Remember, being motivated by surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit is meant to bring a sense of freedom and joy to your life, rather than the burden of constantly striving to earn wages through your own efforts.

Regenerated: Rewrite with the same template comparing being a slave to the flesh or to the Spirit of God.

If you are a slave to the flesh rather than to the Spirit of God, stop living in bondage to your own desires. Do these 5 things:

• Recognize that the desires of the flesh are in opposition to the will of God.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you overcome the temptations of the flesh and to lead you in the path of righteousness.
• Engage in regular prayer and Bible study to renew your mind and to align your thoughts with God’s truth.
• Submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even when it conflicts with your own desires and plans.
• Be willing to crucify the flesh and its desires, in order to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Remember, being a slave to the Spirit of God is meant to bring freedom and life, rather than the bondage and death that comes with being a slave to the flesh.

(5 things is from a template prompt in ChatGPT that reinforces the focus to surrender)