Beyond Today Daily

Who is the Master and Ruler of Your Life?

In the age of the Roman Empire, the emperor was the undisputed ruler. Does it matter who we allow to rule our lives today?

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[Scott Ashley] Who is the master and ruler of your life? Jesus Christ’s early followers called Him “Rabbi”, “Teacher”, “Master”, and “Lord”. “Lord” is translated from the Greek word kyrios, and it means “lord” or “master”. They saw themselves as disciples, as students of Him as their Rabbi, but they also saw themselves as servants, as slaves, with Jesus Christ as their master, their ruler, and their king. What are the implications for that, in terms of who rules your life – who you take your orders, your marching orders, from?

Behind us, we see what happens with human kings, human rulers. I’m in the heart of Rome, and behind me is the Palatine Hill, which is where the Roman emperors had their palaces – massive structures with thousands of people, servants, government administrators, and household members living there. But we see from history what happens to human rulers, human leaders. They are subject to vanity, to the false ways of thinking that all human beings are subject to. Consequently, they do not make good leaders. They are not the ones we should emulate. And what happens to them? Ultimately, we see – they become dust, they go to the grave, as all human beings do.

But what about our master? What about our ruler? The early Christians knew that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead to live forever. They also knew they had a great hope that He would return again, that He would return as the book of Revelation describes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to ultimately establish a government that would reign over the entire earth, and that those who followed Him would assist Him, be administrators, teachers, in that same government, also known in the Bible as the kingdom of God.

What are the implications for your life, if you become a servant, a disciple, a slave of Jesus Christ now? You have the opportunity to become one of those kings, one of those lords who will be a part of the government in the kingdom of God. So who is your ruler? Make Jesus Christ the ruler of your life now, and begin transforming your life.

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Scott Ashley

Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado. 
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.