Doulos – Greek word meaning Slave.
"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
Romans 6:16
My heart has been breaking recently for what I TRULY owe to Christ. How much of my life truly reflects him? Am I living as a man of christ should?
-As you look at the title of this blog you see the word Doulos. One of my pastors uses this word often and it finally hit me. What does it look like to actually be a SLAVE to christ? All of this started about two weeks ago while I was driving to one of my friday night soccer games, my pandora was on Chasen radio and EVERYTHING that came on was worship, I think every track that played was as if it were the Jock Jams for Christ. – Through all of this worship going on, the thought of him choosing to give ME life hit me like a TON OF BRICKS.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5
He knew me before he formed me? He set ME apart? – You appointed me as what to the what?
My entire life I have always gone with what I wanted to do, always thinking it was the best. In turn obeying whatever it was I felt was good for me, you could say I was a SLAVE to sin, because most of it was self-satisfying, humility at its least and feeding my flesh the fuel it needed to lead me straight to the Grave. The exchange that took place on that cross is the ONE TIME, FULL DEMONSTRATION of God's love for us.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus Christ – God made man, took the most unimaginable death on the Cross taking all of Humanities sins upon him so that we can be seen as righteous and blameless before the Father. Giving all of humanity the opportunity to have eternal life with him when we were COMPLETELY powerless in the situation. THAT is why I owe him EVERYTHING.
-I want my entire life to reflect christ, not for any personal benefit, but to be obedient to the one who knit me in my mothers womb and the one who gave his life for me to be called 'righteous' and have eternal life. Men were put here on this earth to lead, not in a pompous, prideful way but to lead and set the example as Christ has. My heart wants nothing more then to follow in Christs footsteps and to be reflecting of "…offer[ing] [my] body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…" Romans 12:1
-What does this take? to be honest, im not sure because IM NOT EVEN CLOSE to there. But to live a life anywhere remotely reflecting the only SINLESS being in all of eternity its going to take ALL of my heart, I have a burning desire to want to be a man who reflects him, and I know with his spirit inside me we are transforming my spirit and building upon the tests, trials and suffering which have/will be brought into my life. God knows what he is doing, choosing every detail of my life to build upon eachother. Through it all, I hope my character "GLORIFIES HIM" in everyway.
-I found out today that I broke my fibula the friday before last… funny thing is, its the night that It dawned on me that I OWE him everything. This injury has slowed me down exponentially(and will for a while)… someone knew that I needed to spend some more time with him… I think his name is Jesus.
– To summarize all of my thoughts in a Nutshell, I am seeking Christ to transform me into the Man of God whom he wants me to be, I know that these 11 months on this trip will have a profound happening on that transformation and keep me in your prayers, for a quick physical healing of my ankle and for a heart to be transformed completely for Christ!
God Bless,
Banko
