“This is the gospel . . . of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” (Colossians 1:23, NIV)
We often speak of being servants of Christ, servants of God or even being servants of one another for Christ’s sake. But how often do we think of ourselves as servants of the gospel?
These words of Paul take my mind back to Luke’s words as he opens his Gospel. He spoke of men who were “servants of the word” (Luke 1:2).
What do servants do?
What they are told!
How do servants think?
As their master does!
How do servants spend their time?
In whatever way their master demands!
Ponder that again: servants of the gospel; servants of the word.
The gospel gives the orders. We rise and obey.
The gospel sends the signals. We watch, looking for our cues (“as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,” Psalm 123:2, ESV).
We jump at the gospel’s bidding.
The gospel is in charge.
The gospel determines.
The gospel issues assignments, tasks and duties.
The gospel determines where we live, how we live, under what conditions we live.
Aren’t those the things a master does?
Sounds strange, perhaps, to our American Christian ears. I wonder what would happen if we truly understood just how good the good news of the gospel really is? Perhaps we’d better understand the spiritual reflex of service which the gospel, rightly understood, woos from us.