Romans 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
In Galatians 1:10, we gain insight into what it meant for Paul to be a bond-servant of Christ Jesus. “Or am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” We live to love with Jesus because we know it pleases Him. He has called us to live with Him and to be expressions of His life in this world. One of the greatest hindrances to loving others is idolatry: placing someone else in Jesus’ place. When we live to please people, we have become their bond-servants. Our lives are run by their likes and dislikes.
In this particular time in history, a popular perspective on love is that love is defined by how we make people feel. If we agree with them and celebrate their sinful lifestyle choices, then we love and accept them. If we don’t, then we are liable to a litany of accusations and worthy of censorship. As bond-servants of Christ, we should not believe those lies. We are not striving to please them or seek their favor. We seek His pleasure and favor, therefore we speak the truth, that which correlates to reality, in love. We, like the apostle Paul, have been set apart for Jesus that the gospel might be magnified and preached through our lives as we live to love with Him.
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
