This week’s devotions are based on Week 5 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
Ephesians 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
The Apostle Paul certainly had a special privilege and calling that he had received from the Lord to bring the message of the Gospel to the Gentile/Mediterranean world. His travels, interactions, writings all served to bring Jesus to the hearts of thousands of people and still God is using his inspired writings to reach people like you and me.
But what about you?
Are you a servant of the Gospel?
A servant is one who is under the guidance and supervision of a master. The servant takes their direction and orders from the one he serves. Many of the parables that Jesus told in the Gospels involved a master and servants. The Master is often Jesus himself or the heavenly Father. The servants aren’t just his disciples, but all his followers.
So yes, you are a servant.
As a believer, a follower of Christ, we recognize that our Master is Christ himself. We are no longer slaves to our sinful nature, but rather a servant who is intent on doing the Father’s will.
So what does that look like to be a “servant of the Gospel?”
A servant of the Gospel sees a primary purpose in life is to live out the new life that the Gospel has given them. We are no longer serving our sinful nature and all its desires and cravings, rather we fall in step with the Spirit of God and let his will, influence, and direction permeate our lives.
A servant of the Gospel sees a primary purpose in life is to share the Gospel. God wants all people to be saved. People are saved when they hear the Word of Christ, the Gospel message. God in his infinite wisdom has chosen his followers to be the people that communicate that message with people. Sure, you do your task at work, at home, at school…but a servant of the Gospel always is carrying a bias to see relationships and interactions as opportunities to share the Gospel.
A servant of the Gospel is not looking for accolades and self-promotion. They, as Paul, recognize this status as a servant of the Gospel is one that is given to them by God’s grace. And that is enough. At the end of the day, we are simply doing our duty. This is what Jesus taught in Luke 17:7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
So fellow servants of the Gospel, enjoy living today simply doing your duty, living and sharing the Gospel God has shown to you!
Apply: What opportunities might God give you today to more directly live out your role as a servant of the Gospel?
Prayer: Lord, your grace is amazing to both call me into your family and call me to be a servant of your Gospel. While some like Paul are full time in this role, help me to see the interactions of my day as an opportunity to live and share the Gospel message you have given to me. AMEN.