I’M A JOYFUL SLAVE!

The other day, a sincerely perplexed friend asked me:

"Some believers do say CHRISTIANS are SLAVES to JESUS. Most times, I counter it that I'm NOT a slave but a real child of God. Please enlighten me, which is true? Are we really slaves to Jesus?"

I doubt if she’ll be the first to ask that question. Here’s my response…

Checking the meaning of the word "slave" will be a good point to start... I found these:

• someone who is EXCESSIVELY DEPENDENT UPON AND CONTROLLED BY another.
• a legal property of someone (the master) who must be obeyed.

So sieve your question through that filter.

• Are Christians not supposed to be excessively dependent on Jesus? Jesus said “you can do nothing without me” (John 15:5 GNB).
• Are Christians not supposed to be controlled by the Spirit of Christ? Paul said “Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's children” (Romans 8:14 GNB).
• Are believers not legal properties of Christ? Paul said “You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 GNB).

Some of the apostles identified themselves as "bondslaves" of Christ. (In their culture, bondslaves are the most hopeless of slaves...lol). Paul, in his letter to the Romans introduced himself as “a devoted slave of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1 MSG).

My perception is that, you're scared to be identified as a slave, no thanks to our cultural understanding of slavery (a visit to Badagry slave port will worsen that understanding). But my encouragement to you is to understand that it's one thing to be a slave to a task-master, it's another thing to be a slave to Love!

Being a slave to Christ is the ONLY realm where SLAVERY is an equivalent of SONSHIP and HEIRSHIP—CO-HEIRSHIP, as a matter of fact!

No honour could be greater, my Dear.

I’m a SLAVE—WE are slaves, happily so, gladly so, who have been bought out of another slavery, the slavery to sin and death and hell. We have been bought and redeemed from the slave market of souls under the power and authority of the devil himself. We have become God’s own purchased possession. He has made us not just slaves but sons, not just sons but joint heirs, not just joint heirs but rulers who will reign with Him forever and upon whom all the glories of eternity will be showered.

We are slaves who are loved. We are slaves who are beloved by our master.

Happy Sunday!