THE SERVANT and HIS bond-servants
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Verse for Today
Romans 1:1 - Paul a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God
The world loves to give titles and positions of temporal importance to attract God's people to its fold. These worldly titles increase their self-esteem, dignity and status and ultimately make them feel good about themselves and their worldly achievements. But the titles the Lord wants to give to His people are totally unattractive according to the world's standards. The Lord has presented Himself as the Servant and asserted that He came to serve and not to be served unto, even though He was Master and Teacher. When He became a servant and demonstrated it by washing the feet of the disciples, He expected us to be servants of the Servant. Paul, a highly learned man and a recognized teacher of the Jewish religion was quite willing to become the servant of the Servant and wanted himself to be bonded to Jesus. He was totally given to Jesus to use him as it was pleasing to Him. He was humbled to have been called an apostle because as apostle is sent out by the Master wherever He wanted him to go. It involved continuous travel and difficulties attached to long journeys through the land and the sea, with the most serious mission to carry out. He was willing to be also set apart totally and absolutely for the ministry that he was called to do, with all its hardships. Paul was willing to be any thing for His Master, thus to exhibit his total indebtedness and obedience to Him. He didn't care about his personal well-being and willingly threw away his career prospects. He used all his faculties for the Master. He refused to allow the world to be his master, and boldly and bluntly refused any thing the world offered. He willingly became the bond-servant of Jesus Christ and proved it with his life.
Dear friend, are you willing and prepared to become a bond-servant of Jesus? Are you willing to be sent out by Him and for His use any time and any where? Do you feel that you are set apart for Him because you are His personal possession and that He had every right to use you according to His will and pleasure? He wants to use your love for Him as the driving force to obey Him. In your constraining role as a servant of the Lord Jesus, have you given Him the freedom to use you wherever and whenever He wanted? There are a lot of people who say that they are available, but do not avail of the opportunities He gives them daily. There are people who want positions even in Christian ministry and would rather be rulers than obedient servants. They want to go wherever they like rather than being sent out by the Lord according to His plan and programmes. There are those who set themselves apart to accomplish their selfish interests and desires in all walks of life in this world. They use their best in life to accomplish these temporal gains. When they are thus used by the world, there won't be much left in terms of time, treasure and talents to be of any use to the Lord. We need to be careful so that we will not waste our lives and opportunities for the world which offers mirages which we will never attain. The world's objective is to draw you back or neutralize you so that you will not be useful to your Master. Your love will be revealed in your obedience to your Lord. Your obedience will reveal where your heart is. Your heart will reveal your real commitment, whether it is only verbatim or real action on the basis of an attitude of indebtedness to the Lord for saving your soul. Friend, you need to prove through your actions and motives whether you are a servant and are willing to be set apart for special ministries and missions and are willing to go any where, any time and any how.
Matthew 11:29 - Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Thought for Today
If you consider Jesus as your occasional master, He will not be your Master at all.
Verse for Today
Romans 1:1 - Paul a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God
The world loves to give titles and positions of temporal importance to attract God's people to its fold. These worldly titles increase their self-esteem, dignity and status and ultimately make them feel good about themselves and their worldly achievements. But the titles the Lord wants to give to His people are totally unattractive according to the world's standards. The Lord has presented Himself as the Servant and asserted that He came to serve and not to be served unto, even though He was Master and Teacher. When He became a servant and demonstrated it by washing the feet of the disciples, He expected us to be servants of the Servant. Paul, a highly learned man and a recognized teacher of the Jewish religion was quite willing to become the servant of the Servant and wanted himself to be bonded to Jesus. He was totally given to Jesus to use him as it was pleasing to Him. He was humbled to have been called an apostle because as apostle is sent out by the Master wherever He wanted him to go. It involved continuous travel and difficulties attached to long journeys through the land and the sea, with the most serious mission to carry out. He was willing to be also set apart totally and absolutely for the ministry that he was called to do, with all its hardships. Paul was willing to be any thing for His Master, thus to exhibit his total indebtedness and obedience to Him. He didn't care about his personal well-being and willingly threw away his career prospects. He used all his faculties for the Master. He refused to allow the world to be his master, and boldly and bluntly refused any thing the world offered. He willingly became the bond-servant of Jesus Christ and proved it with his life.
Dear friend, are you willing and prepared to become a bond-servant of Jesus? Are you willing to be sent out by Him and for His use any time and any where? Do you feel that you are set apart for Him because you are His personal possession and that He had every right to use you according to His will and pleasure? He wants to use your love for Him as the driving force to obey Him. In your constraining role as a servant of the Lord Jesus, have you given Him the freedom to use you wherever and whenever He wanted? There are a lot of people who say that they are available, but do not avail of the opportunities He gives them daily. There are people who want positions even in Christian ministry and would rather be rulers than obedient servants. They want to go wherever they like rather than being sent out by the Lord according to His plan and programmes. There are those who set themselves apart to accomplish their selfish interests and desires in all walks of life in this world. They use their best in life to accomplish these temporal gains. When they are thus used by the world, there won't be much left in terms of time, treasure and talents to be of any use to the Lord. We need to be careful so that we will not waste our lives and opportunities for the world which offers mirages which we will never attain. The world's objective is to draw you back or neutralize you so that you will not be useful to your Master. Your love will be revealed in your obedience to your Lord. Your obedience will reveal where your heart is. Your heart will reveal your real commitment, whether it is only verbatim or real action on the basis of an attitude of indebtedness to the Lord for saving your soul. Friend, you need to prove through your actions and motives whether you are a servant and are willing to be set apart for special ministries and missions and are willing to go any where, any time and any how.
Matthew 11:29 - Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Thought for Today
If you consider Jesus as your occasional master, He will not be your Master at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment