Monday, June 14, 2010
Titus 1:1-3 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior.
SLAVES OF GOD
When we hear the term "slave," we probably think of the fact that a slave was considered the property of his master. Paul was a slave of God in that sense, because God purchased and won him from his former master, Satan. When the Holy Spirit brought Paul to faith in Christ, he was unshackled from guilt and sin and their consequence -- eternal death. The same was true of Titus, the Christians on Crete, and it's also true of you.
You were by birth and nature slaves of sin. We were the property of Satan, bound for eternal death. But God made plans in eternity to purchase our release. He sent His Son Jesus, the only begotten of the Father, and He paid the price to redeem us from sin, from death and from Satan. The price was His blood. So we are God's slaves, bondservants because He paid the price to make us His own.
But when Paul called himself a slave of God he was highlighting a different aspect of his relationship with God. A slave doesn't do what He wants, but what his master wants. As a slave of God, Paul sought God's will in everything. He didn't think of himself as "master of his own destiny." He didn't travel from place to place doing what he wanted. When he had done what He thought was best, He persecuted Christians. When he sought God's will, He proclaimed Christ.
We should also think of ourselves as slaves of God, as those who seek above all to do God's will. This month, as many schools end their academic years, it is something that the graduates need to hear. Graduates are often urged to "make the best of their lives" and are told that they can "change the world." There is only one person who can change the world, and He can also make us the best you can be -- that's the Lord Jesus Christ. He is in control of this world and of ours lives. He has made us His Children. He promises us that if we seek His will first, then every needful earthly blessing will be given to us (Mt 6:33).
