Servant
or Slave?
Rather, as servants of God we commend
ourselves in every way:
2 Corinthians 6:4
Sitting in a local diner, the three
friends were discussing the challenges of serving God. Having shared
with each other some of their current battles, Chris shared how tired
he had become spiritually; wishing God would remove some of the
burden.
Cody asked, “Do you know the
difference between a slave and a servant?”
Growing up in the 1960s, Chris had
learned to equate slavery with oppression. This is easy, Chris
thought as he answered, “A slave does things because he’s forced
to; a servant gives of himself freely.”
He’d never heard Cody’s definition,
“A servant does things expecting payment. A slave expects nothing
for their work.”
Chris chewed on that as Cody continued…
“At five o’clock, a servant goes
home to his family…” he said, “…a slave isn’t finished
until his master says he’s done.”
As the truth of that statement
penetrated Chris’s heart he had to admit he’d been expecting
something for his service. While praying, “Use me, Lord,” he’d
had expectations of what that looked like in his own mind; he was
expecting to receive compensation for his efforts, not a hard time.
†
In the span of one minute, God had used
Cody to show Chris the true nature of a slave…and his heart where
service was concerned.
But, if owning another human being, for
any reason, is wrong, then how is being God’s slave good?
In Romans 6:16, Paul tells us that we
are slaves. In today’s text, reading through verse ten,
Paul’s description of service sounds more like the definition of
slavery. It’s riddled with hardship and pain, yet speaks to what
lengths a bond servant will go for his Master.
So, what’s the difference?
Satan enslaves, hoping only to destroy!
God, in His great love, offers us and
opportunity to serve in His Kingdom. He does not make us
slaves.
Given the choice, whose slave would you
rather be?
Prayer
“Lord, I don’t want to
be Your servant, always expecting a return for my service.
Shift my heart so that I might become a slave who desires only to
bring You glory, regardless of any pain or trial I might perceive as
unfair and unwarranted. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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