For your consecration

[rl69]

February 5
The Joy of Faithful Service"Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:1 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Phil.%201.1)).
A faithful slave fulfills the will of his master.The metaphor of Christians as slaves to Christ is common in Paul's writings. It is one his readers would have readily understood because of the prevalence of slavery in the Roman Empire.
Peter, James, John, and Jude used the same metaphor of their own ministries, as did Jesus in Mark 10:45 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Mark%2010.45): "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." In Philippians 2:7 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Phil%202.7) Paul refers to Christ as a bond-servant who set aside the glory He was due and humbled Himself to the point of death.
The Greek word translated "bond-servant" in Philippians 1:1 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Phil%201.1) was commonly used of those who, out of devotion to their masters, chose to remain as slaves when having the opportunity to be released. They were also known as love slaves because they served out of love, not compulsion.
That is a beautiful picture of the believer. We are God's bond-servants (Rev. 1:1 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Rev.%201.1)), having been freed from sin and enslaved to Him (Rom. 6:22 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Rom.%206.22)).
While slavery brings to mind deprivation and inhumane treatment of one's fellow man, slaves in the Roman Empire usually were treated with dignity and respect. Although most had no personal possessions, their masters supplied everything they needed for life and health. Additionally, many were entrusted with significant responsibilities in their master's home.
A disobedient or self-willed slave was of no use to his master, but faithful slaves, who set aside their personal interests to accomplish their master's will, were a precious possession.
Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/John%204.34)). As God's bond-servant that should be your goal as well. Be faithful so God can use you mightily.
Suggestions for Prayer


Thank God for the privilege of serving Him.
Seek wisdom to appropriate your spiritual resources as you perform the tasks God has entrusted to you.

For Further Study
Philemon is a letter Paul wrote to accompany Onesimus, a runaway slave, whom Paul had led to the Lord and was now returning to his master, Philemon.


Read Philemon.
What was Paul's desire for Onesimus?
What does this letter reveal about Philemon's character?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com (http://www.crossway.com/).

[rl69]

Or y'all seeing all the / color and numbers?

[rl69]

https://www.gty.org/library/devotionals

[Pine Baron]

Rl69. The colors and numbers don't matter. The message is clear. Thank you.

[USMC87]

Message is loud and clear, Amen for God choosing me in Christ to be a fellow servant.

[Blackwater]

I'm not getting the colors. Just the enclosed coding that's supposed to bring the colors to the text. FWIW?

[buckwheatpaul]

A great lesson. You are bonded by your devotion to God and not the false gods that surround us daily. AMEN men and thank you each for your posts. Paul

[Blackwater]

I've long thought that Paul, despite his very real devotion to our Lord, often had weak moments, just like us and the other apostles. And he knew this, and simply WANTED them to go away, so that he COULD be a literal slave to the Lord, with no will of his own. That was his aspiration and goal. And he probably never quite accomplished it wholy, until the moment of his death. What an inspiring thing, to want to eliminate ALL of our own wills, and have only the Will of God within us! In our "modern" world, how many of us would even aspire to something like that? Surely not very many. Our usual standard is to look around us, and try to be as alike to those we see as possible. This creates a minimum of dissension and dissonance, but what do we lose in doing that? I fear it's far more than we realize, usually. What we need to do, and what will serve us MUCH better, is to keep in mind someone like Paul, and constantly aspire to be more like him than we do those around us. This will inevitably put us out of step with many who surround us, but we're here to fight a very real battle, and NOT just to "go along to get along." But if we choose to go our own way, we MUST be stalwart in it, whatever comes along to challenge us.

And Satan will be SURE we're challenged, we can all be assured of that! When good people and those who are alled by Christ's name, quit fighting, what else can happen EXCEPT that evil should win? At least here on this plane of existence. Satan knows his days are numbered, and for simple spite, he just wants to take as many of us with him, so as to deny them to the Lord. If we just "go along," we'll end up with Satan, and not with our Lord. It's way past time we Christians re-convened the battle, and learned how to fight it again! We weren't put here to drift along like a piece of driftwood on the sea. We were put here to serve a risen Savior, and let His story be known, that it might steal some of those souls that Satan so maliciously covets, and turn them towards the Lord. We were put here for a REASON, and it wasn't just to enjoy ourselves ALL the time. We are given so many great good times. Have we lost the taste for a challenge occasionally? Have we lost the power of our Faith? Some seem to have. But even the worst among us CAN be reawakened, and renew the battle. We've sat and took whatever came along for far too long. It's time to give the Lord our will, and follow His. It's the only way we'll ever be truly happy and satisfied in this realm.

[Boaz]

Thank you for reminding us rl69 . A good lesson .