A Servant in Name or Deed?
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20-21.
I must ask myself, often am I a disciple in Name or Deed. I am reminded of Jacob, who addressed himself before his brother, Esau, as “your servant”. (Genesis 32:18). Jacob said that out of fear; therefore, it was in name only. I must be careful not to call myself servant, but to be a servant. It was only after the Jabbok experience, when Jacob wrestled with God, that he became a true servant (Genesis 33:5). Lord let me never fail to have a Jabbok experience; otherwise, my servantship becomes hollow.
I remember a man when I first began my journey in Christ who called himself a humble servant, but he was anything but that. I must be careful not to give out titles about myself, but rather give out the content of the titles. I have come across many who become preachers so they can tell people what to do. They wanted the office for all the wrong reasons without understanding the function of such a call. Many Christians, including myself, are just as childish. We love the thought humble, servant like, but not wanting to undergo the discipline of becoming like that.
There is only one way to become a servant, or slave, as the Bibles describes it; by relinquishing. A slave has no rights, owns no property, is completely controlled by his master. The moment I pretend to be someone or lay claim to something, I cease to be a servant. Even my claim to salvation is through another, Jesus Christ. I cannot become an acceptable servant until I have experienced self-denial (Philippians 2:5-8), and I cannot experience that until I am willing to follow the One who denied Himself everything in order to give us everything. The aftermath of servantship is honor and glory (Philippians 2:9-11, 2 Timothy 2:12), and God longs to see me through to the finish.