Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ; James, a servant of God; Simon Peter, a servant of Jesus Christ; Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ. In each instance, these “heavyweights” of the church prefaced their calling in the Body of Christ with their title – a bondslave of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Himself bore the title Servant, for that’s the form He took when He walked this earth.
Since the servants (us) are not greater than their Lord (Jesus), it stands to reason that if the root of our faith is genuine, then the fruit of it will be servanthood. Every man has a master of some sort. In God’s eyes, the greatest among us is the servant of all. You see, our freedom, in part at least, lies in the truth that we have been bought with a price and are no longer servants of men, but of Christ.
When Paul was imprisoned, he wasn’t the prisoner of Rome or Nero, he was the prisoner of the Lord. What a divine paradox: a prisoner and servant of Jesus, yet free as can be! To follow Jesus is Divine service and honor. The gospel of our salvation and forgiveness of sins frees us from a self-centered existence to a Christ-centered life, “for you serve the Lord Jesus Christ.” We need to remember that.
Scripture says that we are to serve the Lord with gladness. No matter what your talent, ability, or spiritual gift might be, the Lord intends that it be exercised with a servant’s heart to glorify Him and bless others. Our service to Jesus on earth is a preliminary to what we shall be doing in glory – serving Him.
To serve is your choice; however, only those motivated by love will receive those crowns and hear those precious words from the lips of Jesus: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
