Day 3

“... you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God...” —ROMANS 6:22

We rightfully abhor slavery, though it still goes on in our world. The idea of selling and buying other human beings and forcing them into a life of servitude is abhorrent. We believe in the right of every person to have control of their own life with dignity and equality. If that is so, how do we understand what Paul wrote here, that ‘you are not your own’?

A car without gas cannot function. A lamp without electricity does not shine. A person without Christ cannot be what humanity was created to be. To abuse the freedom of an individual to be themselves by dominating them is one thing, and to equip an individual to be what they were truly meant to be is another thing altogether. Christ in the Christian is like gas in a car or electricity in a lamp. It is the means by which it is intended to function. If a car could resist gasoline, it would still look like a car but be unable to function like one. If a lamp resisted electricity it would look exactly as it always did, but don’t expect it to function and give light. Separated from God, we lack the essential criteria that equip us to be what humanity was intended to be.

The role of God in our lives is not as a sleeping partner, but as our life, guide and strength. God does not force the issue. Our relationship with Him is a response of love, trust and obedience that recognizes the truth about ourselves and the truth about the indispensable nature of His presence within us.

Paul frequently speaks of himself being a ‘servant’, and occasionally as a slave of God. This is not enforced on him. It is a response of love, freely made, recognizing we were created to live in this relationship to reach our highest potential and be the vehicle of His working in us and through us.

Imagine if we begin each day by saying, “I am not my own today. I’ve been bought with a price, and I live as a servant of Jesus Christ.” How would that affect the way we live? How would that affect our family life? How would that affect our work if we work with this understanding: “I am here today as a servant of Jesus Christ”. How would that change our lives?

This may sound a little oppressive, but in fact, it is very liberating. This word “servant” is a much neglected one in our contemporary Christian vocabulary, but it is a crucial word in the New Testament.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You that You are the fuel we are meant to run on and for the indwelling life of Jesus that makes that possible.

TO REFLECT UPON: The only way to reach my highest potential is by the Spirit of God working in me and through me for His purpose in my life and in this world.