In the master there is a servant, in the servant a master.
Marcus T. Cicero (c. 106-43 BC, Roman orator, politician)
Romans 16:1-2
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. (HCSB)
This has been a verse that I think has given cause to many to read it quickly and skip over any kind of scrutiny. But, if I read this right, Paul is recommending Phoebe as a servant, or if you will a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae. Which, by the way, is the meaning of the word in the Greek, Deacon translates to the word “servant.”
Jesus gave us direction to understand this better while He sojourned here, and I will give that to you and let you reach your own understanding. Jesus said in Matt 20:26-28 “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
If I hear Jesus correctly then the positions I can obtain here and their rewards are these; I can be a servant and be great, and if I want to be first among the greatest, I can be a slave. I think that turns our thinking upside down on what it is that we can best achieve while we are here. Our worth is not determined by what we obtain, but by what we give away…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William
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