Listen to Audio Devotion

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – Phil 1:1-2

Paul refers to himself and Timothy as “servants”. Some translations render this as “slaves”. Straightaway this might put us off on a negative note, probably because of the British-Indian Colonial Rule or the African American slavery that we read about in our history books. We see the aftermath of that even today. But unlike what has happened in recent history, let’s look at who a slave was in the context of this passage.

Sadly, the English word “servant” doesn’t adequately express what Paul meant by the Greek word doulos. A servant still retains the freedom to do what he/she pleases. A servant can perform his/her duties and then return home to live however he/she pleases. But not a slave!

In slavery, one person is “owned” by another. In this instance, a person becomes the “property” of another, in order to pay off a debt that’s on his/her account. We see a similar relationship between us and Jesus. Christians are slaves of the Lord. We are people owned by the Savior Himself. Considering ourselves as slaves does not imply in any way that Jesus is a harsh Master, for it is impossible for Him to mistreat His people. But He does own us as our Master, for He has bought us from the cruel masters of sin and death (1 Cor. 7:23). This happened at the cross of Calvary and everyone who believes in Jesus has been sealed under this bond. Because He is our new Master, we owe Him our wholehearted loyalty.

We throw around the word “Lord” so many times in our prayer, not realizing the significance of that relationship. Let’s be mindful of where we were before he bought us and the price that was paid to buy us. All this because we have a Master who loves us. Isn’t that beautiful?

Let’s Pray,

Lord, You are my lovely Lord and I desire to serve you. As the song goes “My life is not my own, to You I belong… I give myself away so you can use me”. Train me, equip me, strengthen me to serve you in humility.