Wednesday, August 19, 2015

In our last visit I shared the point Paul was making in 1 Corinthians 9:19 about being free and belonging to no man. I pointed out that we are free from all men, even others in the church. And if we choose, we are free to turn our back, even on God. Paul referred to Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10 as deserting him “because he loved this world.” They had been teammates in serving God – but the lure of the world drew him away from those previous commitments into a life of compromise. He was free to do that, and so are you and I. Paul spoke of this in his letter to the Galatians, 5:13, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Our freedom is not to be exercised in a self-serving or gratifying way. We are free to serve. To serve in love. That is, in a self-giving way. That is the choice Paul made according to 1 Corinthians 9:19. He declared, “I make myself a slave to everyone.” This word “slave” is to be a “bondslave.” This refers back to the Old Testament when a slave was to be freed after 6 years. But if he chose to continue as a slave to his master for life, the master would take him to a doorpost and with an awl bore a hole through the ear and into the doorpost as a sign that he’d be a bondslave for life. That’s the decision Paul made – to be a bondslave to everyone. That is a serious choice to make. It means he had to take everyone seriously and be ready to serve them as needs arose. I haven’t always been faithful, but I too have made that choice. Have you?