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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: NIV
The slave of Christ is not a mere religious follower of a great teacher. He accepts the call to die if need be to please his master. Paul put it this way, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”. Solomon, as he reflected on a lifetime lived for material gain, prestige and serving the master of self could only mutter, "Meaningless! Meaningless!… Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV) Eventually, the life lived as anything but a slave to Christ becomes meaningless. Every accomplishment becomes a wash, all toys gathered are left behind and what remains is to face the God of the universe and give an account for your life.
Now here is the great honor hidden in the title, “the slave of Christ.” Moses, Joshua and David were all called the slaves of God. In an incredible prophecy describing the coming Messiah, in Isaiah 42: 1, the name give to Christ is “my slave”. The prophets Amos, Jeremiah, Ezra and Daniel were all called slaves of God. In 2nd Peter the apostle calls himself a slave of Jesus. James the brother of Jesus said he was a slave of Jesus. When we too become a slave of Christ, we enter into the great pavilion of heaven where every man and woman of faith was willing to live and even die serving Jesus.
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