The Son Became a Slave

Posted on by Admin Posted in Devotional

A bond-servant (or bond-slave) is a slave who has earned his freedom after years of servitude, and yet instead of choosing to become free of his master, chooses instead to remain a slave for life. Why would anyone do that?! Because the slave loves his master more than his own life. He freely chooses to live the rest of his life without free will or choice; instead to carry out all his master’s wishes with complete obedience and joy. That bond-servant is given a place of honor and dignity at his master’s house.

Who in the world would live like that?!

Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. When He came on the earth, Jesus became completely human but without sin, and willingly chose to become the bond-servant of His own Father. He only did exactly what His Father said, and everything he did was for His Father’s glory and not his own. At the point of death, Jesus said, “not my will, but your will be done.” He gave up his own free will to carry out his Father’s wishes with joy, even if that meant dying on the cross (see Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 12:2). Why? Jesus loves his Father more than his own life. And that is why His Father highly exalted Him and gave Him the highest honor – the One to whom every knee bows down, and everyone confesses that HE is the LORD of lords and the KING of kings.

Now Jesus Christ our LORD says the same to us: if we want to be his disciples, we have to deny ourselves and be his bond-slave. In His Kingdom, whoever wants to be the greatest must be the servant of all. Though it must seem like a difficult choice to become a bond-servant to Jesus, it is exactly in being one where we find the greatest joy, fulfillment and honor.

Reflect on This:
The key is ‘choice’. Do you choose to hold on to your own freedom and be lost, or do you choose to submit yourself and find your joy in Christ?

Check out the list of self-confessed bond-slaves to the LORD who hold places of honor in His Kingdom: Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Mary (Jesus’ mother), Paul, Peter, James, Timothy, and the other disciples. Will you be counted among them?