Although some Christians like to pretend that they are perpetually godly and always do what is right, it is not true.  That hypocrisy helps nobody and cannot commend the gospel.  The reality is that we are weak in our natural selves and, at best, we are ‘jars of clay’ (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).  We have no human power to overcome the temptations that we believe will bring wealth, pleasure, power or adoration – even if that means we cheerfully offer our bodies to impurity and wickedness.

Slavery was obvious in Paul’s day.  Everybody knew how people were trapped and could not escape.  That is why Paul used it as an illustration of the bondage of sin which was not so visible.  Sinful desires cultivate an escalator of sinful habits which produce ever increasing wickedness.  Some of that may be seen, but much is embedded in the heart (Matthew 15:19-20).

But when we are saved, we need to learn a different way of life.  We also need to learn to struggle against the wickedness which used to be natural (Hebrews 12:4-13).  A good start is to choose to put our bodies to work doing the things that we know will please the Lord - because we do not have to be slaves to sin any longer.  Serving other people for Christ’s sake is a good antidote to the poison of self-pleasing.  More than that, we are now called to submit ourselves to God (James 4:7) which means that we get on with doing all the right things He commands - as Jesus did (John 8:29).

Our weak sinful bodies keep calling us into sin; but the Holy Spirit in us commands us to righteousness.  So, the Christian life is really all about listening to the right voice, finding out what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:10) and choosing the right action.  Until that becomes a matter of habit, it has to be a series of hard daily choices.  If we fail to love the right Master we cannot make the right choices … which will inevitably lead us back into wickedness.  So, today's challenge is to love what Jesus loves, identify those areas of personal weakness, and choose to serve the Lord instead of ourselves - that will mean changing priorities for our time, energy, money and affections.