1 Corinthians 7:21-24 “Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.”
Have you ever been concerned that your station in life was not of an important enough nature to allow you to serve God? Sometimes we think “I am just a farmer (or janitor, or laborer, etc.). God can’t possibly use me where I am now.” Rest assured precious brothers and sisters in Christ that God knew (and knows) exactly where you are when He calls you; He did not get the wrong address.
If you are a servant, don’t let that stop you from heeding the Lord’s call. Regardless of the type of servitude (whether a literal slave or bound to a profession), we are made free in Christ when the Lord calls us. Our outward circumstances may not change for years, if ever, but the Lord’s calling makes us free to honor Him with our lives regardless of our position. Our circumstances are never a sufficient excuse for failing to serve Him.
I have been blessed to have a number of powerful ministers of the gospel in my life. Many of them never set foot in a pulpit. I worked for two such men many years ago. They took me under their wing as a young man, taught me a little about carpentry, encouraged me daily in my own ministry, sang God’s praise while they worked, thanked God for their sandwiches at lunch, and never worried about who might or might not be watching. God had set them free to be His servants, and they did it with great joy.
Sometimes it may please Him to give us a position in life that allows us greater flexibility of time, or He may deliver us from someone who has opposed our desire to serve Him. When that happens, we need to take heed to ourselves. If the Lord makes you free of circumstance then use it to glorify Him. The more freedom we have in our lives, the more our lives should be used in His service. He who has set us free by calling us to serve Him has every right to expect this of us.
Regardless of our situation, once the Lord calls us we are to cease to be the servants of men. Instead of going to our place of employment and laboring to please ourselves or our employers, we should labor to please Him. Our efforts, whether we are farmers or teachers, bankers or sales clerks, should be put forth in a way that gives Him glory, because He has made us free to love Him by His calling in our lives. If we were born with the proverbial silver spoon in our mouths, then when He calls us our liberty becomes our service to Him and His people.
The Lord has every right to expect our service. He paid a great price for us; His own precious blood. No man can ever lay claim to us because they do not have the purchase price. No man other than our Lord Jesus Christ can redeem us from our sins, and He is all-sufficient to the task. His calling in our lives gives us a place to dwell regardless of our physical circumstance. God is with us where He calls us, and therein we are to abide with Him.
May we live the great joy of service to our Lord regardless of our circumstances here in this world to the praise of His glory!