~Slavery~

I have mentioned that I'm attending a ladies Bible study at my church. We're going through the book of Philippians, and so far it has been so good!

The first verse says:

Paul and Timotheous, the servants of Jesus Christ...

In our study, it was mentioned that the word "servants" is actually "slave" in the original Greek. The idea of being a "slave" doesn't sound appealing, does it? It didn't to me anyhow! Why would God want us to be a slave? Didn't He free us?

To further my study, I pulled a book off our shelf which is written by Oliver B. Greene. It has been very insightful! I want to share what I've learned so far:

When one becomes a believer, though he may be a slave from the earthly standpoint, he is spiritually a freeman through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; he is set free from the bondage of Satan. It is equally true that though the believer may be materially free, in bondage to no man on earth, in a spiritual sense he is a bondslave of Jesus Christ, as are all believers. We owe everything to Christ--body, soul, spirit, and service.

--From The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians
Oliver B. Greene

And what does it benefit us to be slaves?

A master is wholly responsible for his slaves--for their food, clothing, housing, every single need they have.
He is responsible for their duties. A slave doesn't choose what to do each day. Similarly, we should look to our Master for directions each day.
The master must provide the supplies needed by the slave to complete the task he has given him.

Quoting again from the same book:

Believers - released from the bondage of sin - are in spiritual bondage to a Master who supplies our every need, lays out for us all of our duties of stewardship, and puts at our disposal everything we need to discharge the duties He has laid out for us. He furnishes grace sufficient for every moment of every day, and for every duty we have as His servants.

In this light, slavery to our Lord becomes desirable!