Greetings PFWC Family and Friends!
The past two weeks we have been having Morning Devo’s in Romans. We’ve been taking our time, digging in and applying it to our lives. In the introduction to Romans, Paul identifies himself first and foremost as “A Servant of Christ Jesus.” What does this mean?
The Greek word for “Servant” here means, “slave.” However it was not something that Paul was forced into but was something that he freely chose to do. This was called a “Bond Slave” (See Exodus 21). A bond slave was a person who willingly chose to serve his master out of love and as a result would be marked. Paul is saying that he is a slave to Christ not by force but by choice because of God’s great love for him. As Christians we are to willingly choose to serve Jesus Christ. Too often I think we want the “Get out of Hell” free card and never think about what Christ has done for us. Because of His death on the cross He has freed us from sin. No longer do we need to be in bondage to it, we are FREE.
Think about that for a moment… FREE. Imagine going hiking with a backpack. Not just any backpack, a heavy, smelly, moldy backpack that digs into your back, nauseates you and reminds you with every step of all the bad things you have done. You are walking up and down hills and it seems to get heavier with each step. You are tired, you are thirsty and you are overwhelmed.
Now imagine having someone willing to take that backpack off. They give you a refreshing Jacuzzi to bathe in and some fresh clean, crisp water to drink that restores you. As you sense this new freedom, cleanliness, and energy, you notice that the other person has taken this backpack and is willing to carry it for you. You no longer have to carry this putrid, heavy backpack ever! This is what Jesus did for Paul and what He has done for each of us. He has taken the nastiness and weight of sin and given us freedom.
In gratitude to Jesus Christ, Paul says, “I choose to be a bond slave for you Christ!” No one is forcing him, he freely chose to do this. It’s a monumental decision to go beyond just receiving this freedom to saying I will serve you no matter what because You have been so good to me. I’m no longer a slave to sin. I no longer have to carry this weight of guilt, bitterness, resentment and dread. I AM FREE! In the end, being a bond slave cost Paul his physical life but gave him a much better eternal life. A life that words cannot express how outstanding it is and will be. Hebrews 11:13-16 summarizes his attitude:
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
WOW the best is yet to come! Now… here’s the question: Will you freely choose to be a bond slave of Christ? There is no harm that can come to you that would surpass the pain the pain that was done to Jesus Christ on behalf of our sin. Paul loved his Master enough to live for Him and to die for Him. What about you?