The Calling to be a Bondservant
                                       - Bro. Samuel Dhinakaran

My dear friend, I am so excited to share with you the promise for this new month from I Corinthians 7:22, 23,

“For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.”

Yes, we are so special to the Lord and we are bought with a price, with the blood of Jesus. God shed His own holy blood so that we can become His child and so God says, ‘you are so special being bought with my blood; don’t give away yourself so cheaply to become bondservant of men.’

Sometimes we follow men, who influence us and we give ourselves to follow every word of theirs and sometimes we give ourselves to follow alluring people, because of lust with which they draw us and we become bondservants of that. When we are led by worldly counsel to gain earthly things, we become so frustrated at a point because of that. God calls us not to depend on the ways or counsel of men, but to follow Him. Just because someone is attractive and does so well in their life, doesn’t mean we should copy their ways. My friend, we are not called to be bondservants of men, but bondservants of Christ. This verse says, ‘he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ’. We become His bondservants having been freed by Him, we are no longer shackled by the things of this world neither by the wrong leading nor by getting temporary things in this world and being frustrated but we are free to choose to serve Him.

See how Jesus called His disciples- Peter, Matthew and Thomas. They willingly left everything and went with Jesus when He called them. Jesus showed His signs and wonders, blessings, and said ‘would you also follow me? so that we can lead people into this same blessing. I want to use you to become a blessing and to make you a sign and a wonder. Will you follow me?’ And they willingly left everything in their life to fulfill that calling with what the Lord was calling for.

In the Bible, Peter and Paul and all the disciples who wrote the books, in the first verse they will declare as a bondservant of Jesus. In Romans 1:1, I Peter 1:1, Jude 1 they declared themselves as servants of Christ. Yes, Jesus has called us His friends, His sons and daughters, but we choose willingly to serve Him, in all that God has given us and to become God’s servant. It is not like an ordinary master-and-servant relationship. When we serve the Lord we receive so much joy in our heart and deep fulfillment. We will love to serve Jesus and have so much joy in following Him.

'When the Lord filled me with the Holy Spirit and began using me, I had so much joy that God has kept me a blessing to so many people, making me impact so many lives. Where will I get this honor, where will I get this privilege! And He increased my name to a place where I have not earned at all in my life. I always thank Him. But above all these things, when I choose to serve Him, I feel a great joy in my heart, protecting me from all depression, never letting me get discouraged, never letting me give up but a great joy, a great love of Jesus poured into my heart to make me love Him.'

My friend, when you say ‘yes’ willingly the Holy Spirit will shape you and shape your life to serve Him. He will lead you to a righteous life, into a powerful ministry and into a powerful career. God will fill you with the power and when you stand up as His servant in His name, you will see the mighty power of God working through you. This is the great privilege in becoming a bondservant with Jesus.  

‘A young man once shared his story with me. ‘He loved Bollywood, watching film stars, acting and dancing when he was little. He admired a film star so much that he wanted to become a famous person like him and wanted to be in cinema-not because he loved acting, but he wanted the star’s life. He tried to follow that path, but it only brought frustration, depression and separation from his family members. That was the time he attended the Jesus Calls Meeting, where the joy of God found him and filled him. The Holy Spirit came upon him and drew him to Jesus. That day, he chose to follow Christ and to become a servant of God. Today, he joyfully shares how God is using him in ministry. Alongside his professional career, he reaches out to many people with the message of Jesus, and serving Him gives him great joy and fulfillment.’

Today, God is turning us away from becoming bondservants of men to becoming the bondservants of the Lord. Surrender yourself to God today, to serve Him; the Lord will lead you to do His will and to shine with His mighty power in your career, business, in your family life and in the ministry that God has for you.

God bless you. Have a great September.