If there is one thing that dominates the life of a slave it is fear, it is the overriding emotion of all who are in bondage. The possibility of pain, of suffering, of being chastised at any moment for any reason. Even for a bond servant, one who has given a portion of his life to serve a master, there is the possibility of being let go, of not being needed any longer, to be left to the world to fend for yourself.
No matter the reason behind the slavery, willing or unwilling, the key emotional context is fear, and those who are in fear are never free. The performance level of most individuals when they are in this position is generally very high, for in many cases the penalties can be quite severe, the work ethic is almost guaranteed to be productive. No matter your perspective of slavery, all must be aware of one fact, we are all, every one of us, slaves to something, Christians just happen to be slaves by choice, yet for some strange reason, the majority of them have little to no work ethic.
The Word of God lays dusty in a corner, the fruits of the Spirit are all but non-existent, they claim to serve the Risen Savior, but are unnoticeable by nearly everyone as such. This has perplexed me greatly for the last two years or so, individuals who say they believe in God, yet live in and for the world, people who claim Christ as Lord, but never or rarely speak of Him outside of the church walls, exhibiting an outward faith that is mediocre at best. True slaves know their master, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) True bond servants serve, and not just in the most menial ways, the born-again believer, the slave of Christ does so out of love, obedience is not a burden to them, the commandments are not grievous. The slave to Christ has gladly crucified himself, for he saw His Lord be crucified, he has died to self, (Gal. 2:20) for He whom we serve has offered not only the kingdom, but His very self as reward to those who will do so.
For the most part, many Christians are truly unprofitable, they do not serve the Lord as Master, but as a benevolent friend, they have determined that He is no more than a good buddy they sometimes call upon, they have become far too casual with the Creator of all reality. Humble servitude has been replaced with a lazy communion of their soul to His, the Holy Spirit is seen as an inconvenience, easy to quench, easy to call upon in dire straits. What many have determined is that their path is of greater importance than the one the Lord has called them to, and this idea of slavery to them is looked upon as old fashioned, having no meaning for the Christian of today. The idea of servitude never crosses their minds, if all is well in their lives, He is forgotten, if there is turmoil or trouble, they call upon Him and expect an immediate answer. They live in the immediate, in the temporal, the eternal is a thought for later, and they truly expect to be welcomed at the gates of the kingdom.
We are all slaves to something, some by choice, some not. The yoke we have been offered is life, (Matt. 11:29) but you must pick it up. Our rightful duty is to serve, without question, without complaining, (Phil. 2:14) any less infers that we have determined to not be the slave of Christ, and then we are only slaves to ourselves, to our sinful nature that should have died a long time ago.
