I imagine there are some folks who’ll read this meme, helpfully supplied by an atheist internet site, and nod their heads in agreement.
If you’re one of those people, then let me pose these questions: Why is the second question like the first? Can you explain the connection?
This strikes me as a ‘bait-and-switch’, like showing up to take advantage of a great deal on a car, then told none of those cars are available but hey, how about this vehicle at a higher price?
Just as those deals have nothing in common, so it is with this atheist meme.
A wise pastor friend weighed in on it. Ross Carkner noted that the term “master” often has nothing to do with the viewpoint advanced in the meme. How about ‘master electrician’ or ‘master craftsman’? Those images are every bit as relevant as the ancient cliche of the slave-driving master.
The work done by master craftsmen (or women) brings shapeless objects to life and provides them with a purpose. A master craftsman sees potential in what the rest of us may only dismiss as a gnarly piece of driftwood.
The craftsman shapes that wood, cutting away the bits that take away from the whole, sanding the sharp, brittle edges to gentle curves that are appealing to touch. Then he applies layers of lacquer to bring out the barely-seen colours and make the finished product something people admire as art.
I’ve seen so much evidence, in my life and the lives of others, that the Creator of the universe – the creator of you and me – is that kind of master. (This Frank’s Cottage blog details a remarkable example of God’s transforming work: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-5g.)
In the ancient world, a dude named Paul experienced this transformation. Then he told others about it: “I’m sure about this: the One who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus [who many people believe is God’s Son].”
That’s right; whether you know it or not, God the master craftsman has begun a good work in YOU. And He’s no quitter; He wants to finish that work and make you the person He knows you can be.
So how can you get in on this? Simple. Accept the gift of Jesus – His perfect life, sacrificial death and mind-blowing resurrection – whom God offers to every person on this planet.
When you decide to follow Jesus, then God comes into your life to begin changing you, a process that won’t end until you’re finished with this life. And when that day comes, you’ll spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven because God won’t see any of the wrong things you’ve done or the right things you’ve failed to do. He’ll only see His Son’s perfection.
There’s no bait-and-switch here. The incredible deal you came to accept is the incredible deal you’ll get. Sound good? Yes or no, comment below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
We are clay in the hands of the Master Potter, Frank. He will work on us all of our lives when we submit fully to Him.
Great post, my friend. Blessings!
“Why is the second question like the first? Can you explain the connection?”
Because according to Christianity we were created for the purpose of serving God by praising him. For eternity, even.
“How about ‘master electrician’ or ‘master craftsman’? Those images are every bit as relevant as the ancient cliche of the slave-driving master.”
Not at all. The first two refer to expertise at a craft. The latter refers to control of human beings. You are committing the fallacy of equivocation.
Thanks for your opinion. I respectfully disagree with your points because they reflect a worldview that’s absolutely closed to any kind of spirituality.
For example, humanity was created to have a relationship with our creator. Does this include worship? Certainly. But it goes much, much further than this and I’m deeply saddened that so many people either don’t know this, or choose to ignore it. 😦
I see the connection as: you are unable to determine your own merit, value, “meaning of life” without god just as a slave is unable to see themselves as a free person. It is a self-constraining, self-limiting outlook if you depend on something outside yourself to determine your own worth.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Gail. From what I’ve seen in my decades on this planet, everyone has some sort or yardstick by which they measure their value and by which they establish some sort of meaning to this life. Everyone.
I’m very happy to have the creator and master of time, space and the universe as my yardstick, especially as me and most other Jesus followers see Him as loving us more than we could ever hope to love ourselves.