Scripture

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.

Matthew 20:26-27, NIV

Quote

To be Christ’s captive is to be perfectly free.

~Elise Elliot

Jesus uses two Greek words that are close to the same but different. The first word He uses in verse 26 is diakonos which means minister or servant. It is the New Testament word for Deacon. The second word is doulos, a slave or a bond-slave, one who gives himself up to another’s will. It is a person devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. Unfortunately, moderns have a very bad perception of slavery and they think that all slavery is immoral. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the best possible life one could live here on earth if they have a perfect master who loved them and puts their interest first. We cannot deny the fact and Paul states this clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Paul makes it crystal clear: we were slaves to sin and Jesus redeemed us from that horrible slavery which would have culminated in hell. Now we belong to Jesus! Let this truth soak in. How many times have you heard someone say, “It is my life and I will live it as I please.” This is a common quotation for worldlins but not for Christians. We can’t say such things because they are not true. Did I give myself life? Does life originate with me? NO! This is foolishness. God is the giver of all life, but we Christians should understand that our life and our bodies do not belong to us. No matter what the situation or circumstance, we are always subordinate to the LORD Jesus Christ. The servant is never greater than the Master.

Being a slave of Jesus Christ is not a bad thing. Once a slave reaches the point where he loves his master more than he loves him self, his anxieties are over. He doesn’t even care about glory so long as His master gets glory. It is the most liberating life a human can live.

Extra

June and I visited Christy last night and she was not feeling great. I think she is tired from all the procedures and in some pain from the biopsy. She has some back pain also. Her mom, brother and daughter Sarah were with her. Christy has a loving family and that is a plus. I think little Lexi comes home today; not sure about that. Traffic in Huntsville gets worse by the day, but it is much better to go mid-morning than in the evening.

Cooled down last night PTL. I didn’t kick the cover off and I woke up with a cold arm. We turned a little heat on this morning, first time this year I think. Pie and praise went well last night. New lights in parking lot work good. Our stage has new flooring and they may be done with the sanctuary by Sunday. It looks good.

I hope you have a good day and thanks for reading the blog.

We still had water melons, okra, peppers and one tomato in the garden yesterday. I don’t see any frost, so they might survive another day. There is also green corn in several places. I don’t remember seeing it this late in the year.