A True Servant of God

James 1:1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

One of the very aspects of today's society that I hear people complain about is the lack of respect for authority. I hear it in Christian circles, as well as amongst the unsaved. What I find interesting about this particular complaint is that those of us who are followers of Jesus have also allowed that kind of attitude to creep into our Christianity. Both James and Paul used the same title for themselves in describing their relationship to the Lord Jesus; that title is "bondservant". A bondservant is a servant, but not just a servant in the way we view a servant today, but a slave. Many reading this will recoil in disgust at the use of that word, because of what history has shown us about what it meant to be a slave. However, it is time we view such terms from the perspective of God's Word, and not from the perspective the world wants to cram down our throats. After all, our Master, unlike a human master, is not a cruel one; but One who loves us so much, He gave His life for us. Nonetheless, let us get back to the matter at hand. What does it mean to be a bondservant of Jesus. Well, it means that we are in subjection to Him. It means that we have submitted our lives to Him, and seek to live in accordance to His commands. It means that we obey Him without debate grounded in human reasoning. The wonderful thing about our loving Master is that He allows us free will to choose whether to obey His commands, but has an overwhelming desire that we would submit to Him, not by force, but in love. In John 14:15 Jesus clearly stated, "If you love Me, keep my commandments." Unlike human authority, which can be very cruel when one chooses to rebel and be disobedient, we have a God who desires that obedience to His commands come from a relationship rooted in love. How can we not want to submit to such a Master? So today, before we complain about the lack of authority that exists in our society, let us first ask ourselves, "Do I lack that same respect for the authority of Jesus in my life?" "Do I continually rebel against His commandments, and do what I want to do in my everyday life?" If so, would we not have to admit that it is long past the time that we make a real commitment to Jesus, submit under His authority, and become a true servant of God?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).