Thought for Today
Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness,
δοῦλος – generally, as one who serves in obedience to another’s will slave, servant (Gingrich, Greek NT Lexicon)
I have mentioned before, there is a pewter plaque on my dresser showing Joshua 24:15. I read those words every morning as I prepare to meet the day. Often, I think about that Parable of the Talents, especially those words of the master, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave.” Some translations use ‘servant’ instead of ‘slave.’ Either is an acceptable English translation of that Greek noun. The line separating ‘slave’ from ‘servant’ was fluid in Greek society in Biblical times. Either way, the idea imparted is of serving in obedience to the will of another.
Here in the U.S.A. we tend to glamorize the idea of “the rugged individualist.” We imagine ourselves as just that; we raise our children with that as the ideal goal, to be someone who stands alone, who is the ‘captain of their destiny.’ It is hard to imagine, in today’s world, any parent raising a child with the idea and ideal of servitude. We teach our children to play King of the Hill, not Servant of the Hill.
Yet, ideas of service and servitude are inherent in our faith. The concept of faithfully serving others is admired in many of the heroes of our faith. Even the titles of Protestant clergy reflect those ideas of service. We are pastors or ministers, both words reflecting service to something other than self. We minister to and pastors to God’s sheep. We tend God’s flock.
We do see ideas of service in the military. We even refer to being in our military collectively as ‘military service.’ Thankfully, since its inception, our nation has been blessed with citizen soldiers and career soldiers willing to set aside their personal lives when called upon to protect our country.
As individuals, as Christians, do we ever think about those words of the apostle Paul? Paul often describes himself in his epistles as he did in those words above, “Paul, a servant of God.” Joshua, the military leader of the Israelites, spoke about serving God. Neither Joshua nor Paul were powerless people. Joshua was a soldier, a warrior. He had been one of Moses’ lieutenants and was his chosen successor as the leader of the Chosen People. Paul was from a prominent Jewish family, a highly educated man who described himself as “Acts 23:6 I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees.” Yet both self-identified as being in servitude to someone greater.
Many may remember the movie Ghostbusters. If so, you probably remember the theme song and the words “Who ya gonna call? (Ghostbusters!)” When the dog bites, when the bee stings . . . who are you going to call? Will you be like Joshua? Will you be like that 5-talent servant/slave?
We are God’s children. As such, we all know that there are those times when we must make choices. Sometimes they are as monumental as those which faced the Israelites in the land which God promised to them and to which God brought them. They were strangers in a strange land, a land full of different gods and different understandings of how one survived in that strange land. When Joshua confronted them with the choice facing them, they responded, "16 . . . Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.” They knew whom they would call! That 5-talent servant/slave was faithful with what God entrusted to him. He knew whom he served. How about you?
Stay safe, serve the Lord, trust God,
Pastor Ray