Paul delivers yet again

"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God..." -Romans 1:1

The other day my daily Bible reading said to read Romans 1-3, I only made it through verse 1 of chapter 1.

Bond-servant.

This word cut deeply. Deeper than I would have liked.

For the past week I have wrestled with this word. What exactly does it mean? How am I to live out being Christ's bond-servant today? A bond-servant is bound to his master and does exactly what his master bids exactly when his master bids it. A bond-servant is not free. Yet, we have been freed by the blood of Christ.

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." -Galatians 1:13

"Act as free men, and do no use your freedom as a covering for evil, but us it as BONDSLAVES of God." -1 Peter 2:16 (caps mine)

Freedom was given to us only for us to become bond-servants. Sounds a bit twisted.

Only it's not.

If I have learned nothing else during my Christan walk, I have learned of my complete ineptness to do anything on my own--even waking up some mornings! I am and will never be strong enough or wise enough to walk through this life on my own. The world tells me to be strong and look out for myself and to continue to get stronger so that I can survive on my own.

Here's the problem--I cannot make myself stronger. I cannot survive on my own. I need the cross. I need His strength. I am and will always be completely dependent upon Him for everything. Just like a bond-servant is dependent upon His master for everything. I am bound completely to Christ and I am nothing and can do nothing apart from Him.

I am His bond-servant and am His bond-servant because of the cross.

To be His bond-servant, we must live our lives by faith and hope. For the majority of my Christian life, I thought that this meant things like faith that I will always have friends, and hope that I will always have a good job. But, it's not.

It's leaps of faith that cannot be explained. Leaps that will define and enhance our walks. Leaps that will bring about more leaps. Faith that will produce righteousness. Faith that is contagious.

The Greek meaning of hope ("elpis" that I have tattooed on my wrist) is "joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation". Hope that is hard. Hope that will bring us to the cross. Hope that will bring us to a place of utter dependence upon the Lord. Hope that, like Abraham, will bring us full assurance that all that the Lord has promised, He will perform.

He promises sufferings and trials and, in the end, SALVATION!

So, this is what I will hope in. This is what I will have faith in. This is who I will be a bond-servant to.

Christ Jesus who died on the cross and shed His blood as a complete covering for my sin--of which I am completely undeserving.