The Slave of Christ.

If ever there was a man who had surrendered himself completely to Christ, it was John Calvin (1509-1564).  One of his biographers, Jean Cadier, entitled his book about Calvin, "The Man God Mastered."  Calvin was so mastered by God that his will was one with His!

And how do you tell a man who is mastered by God?  You can tell it from the extent of his submission to what God says in His inspired and infallible Word.  It is to be the 'slave of Christ.'  And a slave does not own his life, and has no plans for his own life. In fact, a slave has no future for himself! A slave is the property of his owner. He tells him to do this, and he does it; and to do that, and he does that. He is an obedient servant.  A slave is completely in the hands of his master/owner.  He is utterly submissive to his master's demands and wishes.

And do you know what?  Such a slave is most useful to his master.  He can depend upon him to do his bidding, and to do it immediately.  And that's precisely what God wants of us. Because Calvin was that kind of man, he could write the following words, possible from his own experience:  "The faithful, however readily and submissively they give themselves up to God..."  Have you given yourself up to God? Completely?  Is He your everything, your all?

Sometimes we find the going tough in life and sometimes this is because we are pitting our will up against His perfect will.  When we struggle against what God is doing in our lives, we find Him against us.  It becomes a battle of wills.  In fact, from our viewpoint, it becomes a sort of will-worship; our will is the god we worship and it is the alter before which we bow.  Such a man is not a good slave of Christ.

How careful we must be about these matters.  True safety is only found when we are abiding in Christ.  There, nothing can harm us.  There, and there only, are we safe. 

Where do you abide?  Where are you abiding today?