A Slave of Jesus

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”(2 Peter 1:1-2)

When Peter began writing his second letter, he didn’t introduce himself by saying, “Peter, a best friend of Jesus, present at the Mount of Transfiguration, featured preacher on the day of Pentecost.” Instead, he simply wrote, “Simon Peter, a servant” — or, translated more accurately, “a slave.” John, Timothy, and Jude all give themselves the same title. James didn’t begin his letter by saying, “James, the half brother of the Son of God.” He began by saying, “James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he began by identifying himself as “a slave of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1).
Most of us grew up in homes where we were taught to study hard in school so we could get a good job and make lots of money and live in a big house, drive a nice car, and enjoy great vacations. When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, the answer generally reflects that influence. No kid ever says, “When I grow up, I want to be a slave.” In fact, most of us would find the idea of slavery offensive because of what occurred in past history. But that is what the Bible calls us to. The Bible teaches that the highest calling for you and for me is to be a slave to Jesus.
Sure, there are other ways we identify with Christ. He is a friend of sinners, a master teacher, and the head of His church. He is the promised Messiah, a conquering King, and the omnipotent God. We are lost sheep, and He is the Good Shepherd; we are sinners, and He is our Savior. But when we call Jesus “Lord,” we aren’t saying any of those things. We are saying, “He’s the master, and I am the slave.”
In fact, we can’t call Jesus “Lord” without declaring that we are His slaves. The two terms are inseparable. As crazy as it might seem to everyone else, as ridiculous as it might appear to those who don’t understand, we choose this life of slavery. Nobody will ever be forced into slavery to Jesus. Out of love, we willingly submit to His lordship.
When we fully surrender all that we have and all that we are to Him, we discover the strangest thing: It’s only by becoming a slave to Jesus that we can truly find freedom.

DENYING TODAY
Write down the words “slave” and “master.” What words and ideas come to mind for each of those roles? What are the slave’s responsibilities to the master? What are the master’s responsibilities to the slave? As you pray today, submit yourself again as a slave of Jesus, and thank Him for being a perfect, loving Master.