I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.
One question jumps off the page after reading the verse above: Becoming a servant is a good thing? Really? A servant is required to follow the will of his master. A servant doesn’t get to choose his own direction. A servant doesn’t have a say in what he does with his life. A servant is given instructions and must follow everything to completion. No deviations, no days off, no vacations. And this is what Paul is referring to in a positive tone? Absolutely. Through the Holy Spirit, Paul had come to grasp the fact that being a servant to God was a privilege, not a punishment. He embraced this duty with optimism, seeing it is life-giving rather than life-taking. Do we view the Gospel in the same manner? Do we view living according to God’s commands as a privilege or as a set of handcuffs? Through Christ, we have been given the greatest gift known to man…something that no single person can replicate or reproduce…absolute, complete, eternal salvation! Having that gift in hand, why would we NOT want to live completely for the Lord in every aspect of our lives? Not to earn salvation, but rather to express our praise and gratitude to our merciful Lord. May we view the role of a servant today not as a punishment, but as an incredible gift! To God be the glory!
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