ARE YOU TRYING TO BE THE OWNER AND CONTROLLER OF YOUR LIFE?
British poet, William Ernest Henley, concluded his poem “Invictus” with these words: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” His words capture the essence of what sin is. For sin, at its core, is an attitude of rebellion against God’s lordship. Sin puts self in the place of God. It calls itself, master.
Yet, the prophet Jeremiah rightly understood our human situation, declaring that “our lives are not our own.” For our independence is an illusion. We say that we can do what we want, yet apart from God, our desires our enslaved by sin. We make our plans for tomorrow, but cannot determine whether tomorrow ever comes.
But we can pray to the Lord as Jeremiah did, asking Him to be gentle as we confess our sins to Him. We can place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and be set free from sin’s bondage, offering ourselves as servants of God. For slavery to God is true freedom. Recognizing the Lord as the owner and controller of our souls, we embrace the plans He has for us and we receive the peace and eternal life that He promises.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we gladly call You, Lord. For you have made us and You have bought us out of sin’s slavery by grace through faith. You have called us your children and counted us righteous. We want what You want for us today. We surrender our desires to Your plans for us. For we know that You love us and cause all things to work together for good for us. We are Your servants, in Jesus name, amen.