BONDSERVANTS OF CHRIST OR BONDSERVANTS OF MEN?

“You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men”
1 Corinthians 7:23 (ESV)

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“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10

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All through the ministry of Paul, he faced significant opposition, beatings, and threats to his life because he was not ashamed or afraid to proclaim the true Gospel of CHRIST. We see in Galatians 1:10, Paul emphasizes that his paramount obligation was to please GOD. Paul was saying that he could not direct his ministry towards pleasing man and at the same time direct it towards pleasing GOD. If Paul’s motivation was to first please man, then he was not a bondservant of CHRIST.

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These Scriptures raise very important questions for all Christians to ponder. Let’s ask ourselves these questions:

·        Do we spend our lives trying to please everybody?

·        What motivates our habitual practices and our lifestyles?

·        Are we motivated by the desire to obtain approval of men or the approval of GOD?

·        What are we willing to do to gain the applause of Heaven rather than the applause of men?

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As we ponder these questions, let’s take a closer look at 1 Corinthians 7:23 (ESV):

“You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.”

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CHRIST gave HIS life as a ransom for us. HE alone paid the price. We belong to HIM and are accountable to HIM foremost. We are HIS bondservants. We are subject to the rule and reign of CHRIST, our MASTER. True GOD-pleasers are the true bondservants of CHRIST. On the other hand, we become men-pleasers when we allow human opinions and worldly systems to rule over us.

A bondservant of CHRIST cannot be a bondservant of men. So also, a man pleaser cannot please GOD. In Luke 16:15, JESUS said:

“You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

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This means that, more often than not, what is honored by man or is the popular opinion is evil in GOD’s sight. Now that we know this, what should we do?

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TAKE ACTION:

How do we ensure that pleasing GOD always remains the primary motive in all we do?

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1. Let JESUS CHRIST be our standard.
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   The standard should always be what CHRIST and HIS WORD requires from us. We should not measure our selves against other seemingly righteous brethren. 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT) says:
   
   “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”
   
   The standard should not be what other religious people or church goers do that appears outwardly right. Our standard is obedience to HIS commands both inwardly and outwardly. (See Matthew 6:1-7; Proverbs 16:2, Psalm 139:23-24.)
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2. Serve others out of your love for GOD.
   
   In every assignment or ministry GOD has entrusted to us, our motive should be to serve for GOD’s sake, not for the sake of men. Our service to others should be born out of our love for GOD, without the expectation of praise, gratitude or honor from those we serve. GOD-pleasers are not motivated by the praises of men or the lack thereof. GOD-pleasers are satisfied with knowing that GOD is well-pleased with them. (See 1 Corinthians 13:2-3; Matthew20:26-28, Ephesians 6:6-7.)
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3. Avoid being consumed by the fear of what others will think.
   
   Being obsessed with what people will say or think or what they will do to us chokes our desire to please GOD. We can do greater exploits in the LORD when we stop worrying so much about what others think. The fear of man enslaves us. Proverbs 29:25 says:
   
   “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”

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May GOD grant us the boldness in seeking to please HIM above all others regardless of the circumstances or challenges we face. Amen!

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