Tag Archives: slave

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS…BELONGING – 2

October 18, 2025Bible Studybelong, pierced, slaveLuella Campbell

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God created humans with the deep need to belong. By instituting the sacred bond of marriage, safeguarding it in a legally-binding covenant for life, He created families to satisfy and nurture that need to belong.

One of the cruellest tricks the devil has played on the human race has been to destroy belongingness in the family. He has cheapened both the sacred estate and the exclusive sexual union of marriage to the extent that marriage is scorned and casual sexual intercourse has become a form of recreation and entertainment in society all over the world. The outcome is many generations of orphans who belong to no one.

Then, despite the network of family ties God intended, Satan’s next step was to ruin those ties through selfishness, conflict, and even permanent “cancellation” within the family. The first two siblings, Cain and Abel, were separated forever by Cain’s murderous act against His brother.

God’s purposes were put on hold but never obliterated by human wickedness. His plan to reconcile His people, alienated from Himself and from one another by their sin, was perfectly fulfilled when humans “cancelled” His own Son by crucifixion in the belief that they had finally got rid of Him.

Despite the belongingness of the ties God wants us to have within the human context, there can be no greater belongingness than to the God who created us to belong to Him and to one another in His divine and forever family.

A while ago, I was reading the following verses in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and puzzling over its meaning.

“No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In these words of Paul, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love him—“, I recognised that I had read words like this somewhere before…

Aha! I remembered!

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…similar words but not exactly the same. Like a miner digging for treasure, I began to dig into the meaning of “wait” in Isaiah’s version, “love” in Paul’s quote…Where was the link?

The meaning of the Hebrew word “wait”, “chakah”, has in it the idea of something being carved into or pierced. Pierced? What does that have to do with love?

There was an Old Testament practice that illustrates this process of belongingness through love and piercing. Let me explain how I came on this idea.

“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.”…

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭21‬:‭2, 5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Wow! Look at that! A perfect match!

If he loved his master and his family who remained slaves in the master’s household, a slave could forgo his freedom by his having his ear pierced by an awl driven through his earlobe, which would become his mark of belonging.

What is the connection between this practice of piercing and our belongingness to God? My mind went, immediately, to Jesus on the cross…

“The soldiers therefore came and broke their legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭32‬-‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Isn’t God’s Word amazing!

Jesus was pierced in our place for our sin, so that, because we are “in Him” through faith in Him, we can now belong to God forever, His love slaves…

Now, let’s look at Paul’s words again.

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—“

Why did Paul write, “those who love Him” and not “those whom He loves”? The two Scriptures must be a perfect match. The slave’s love for his master and to be pierced was his choice. Our love for Jesus and our identification with the one who was pierced for us is our choice.

For us, then, our belongingness to God through Jesus was forever sealed by His being pierced for us. No matter what separation, rejection, cancellation, alienation, happens to us on earth, we are God’s own treasured possession, chosen and bound to Him by the blood of His Son.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession.”

MOLLY AND ME – THAT LOOK

April 12, 2025Christian Lifeeyes, Master, slaveLuella Campbell

Molly and me again! We are still together in our ninth year. The bond between us is still there and becoming more refined as we get older.

Let me explain.

Since Molly can only speak “dog”, many of her actions as a younger dog would get me to do for her what she wanted, for example… when she wanted me to pick her up and put her on my lap, she would jump in front of me until she got my attention. I knew her bark when she called me from outside or when she wanted to know where I was. She had a special tone of voice when she scolded me for something that displeased her! Molly’s body language and barks were her way of communicating with me. By trial and error, I began to understand what she was saying.

However, her way of communicating is changing as she gets older. She is less vocal and less physically demonstrative. She knows I understand her better, so she speaks in more subtle ways.

When she is fed up with me, she turns her back on me, lies on her bed facing the other way. Actions speak louder than words!

When she is frustrated, she rolls her blanket around with her nose and eventually dumps it on the floor beside her bed. The attitude is very evident!

When she wants me to pick her up and put her on my lap, she stares at me with a special look in her eyes and an unspoken plea, “Pick me up, please…” She relaxes and willingly allows me to lift her into my arms.

If she doesn’t want me to put her on my lap, she either stiffens and makes herself heavy or gets up and retires to her bed in the bedroom. Sometimes she just lies on my lap and gazes at me. I wonder what she sees!

Molly doesn’t only look at me; she looks to me. When I promise her a treat, she follows the treat container to the kitchen where I open it and drop her treats onto her bed. She knows she gets treats when I leave her for a few hours. She looks for the treats in her bed, quite content that I will come home.

When I look at Molly, I see, not just a small, dapple-coated dachshund. I see Molly, my beloved, four-legged little teacher and companion. I see a little dog who has been at my side and in my heart for more than eight years. I see a small, fragile, dependent animal who can’t live without me. She is always my “baby girl”.

That look, that gesture, that attitude speaks more effectively than a thousand words! They speak of trust, dependence, security. We can breach the gap between dog and human just by looking at one another.

Isn’t that just like the way we communicate with God our Father?
Human language doesn’t always cut it. Sure, we can speak to God, and we do, but there are more ways of communicating with Him and He with us than language because God doesn’t need words.

Matthew 6:7-8 NLT
[7] “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. [8] Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

How can we talk to the Father without words?

First, our look, like Molly’s, speaks loudly of trust.

We look to the Lord for mercy and He responds with His peace.

Psalms 123:1-2 NIV
[1]”I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. [2] As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.”

We look to the Lord for protection and our trust is rewarded.

Psalms 28:7 NIV
[7]”The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

We look to the Lord for strength and He supports us.

Psalms 105:4 NIV
[4] “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.#

As we seek the Lord and look to Him for all our needs, He is constantly watching over us.

Psalms 121:5-8 NIV
[5]”The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; [6] the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; [8] the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

However, not only do we look to the Lord; we also look at Him. Jesus is our mentor, model, and example.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

When we gaze at His beauty in the Word, we are slowly being transformed into His likeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
[18]”And we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

How wonderful are the lessons we learn about the goodness and mercy of our God as we reflect on our relationship even with a small creature like a dog.

LOVE SERVES

July 26, 2024Christian Lifeserve, slaveLuella Campbell

John 13:1, 3-4 NIV
[1] “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
[3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [4] so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.”

Is God humble?

A strange question, yet we must answer it because humility is high on God’s list of priorities. Turns out that the question is irrelevant but for one exception. Jesus!

Humility is an attribute of humanity. Therefore, pride, the attitude of self importance that elevates the proud above his fellow beings, can never apply to God as there is no one higher than He.

By contrast, the humble person accepts and fully occupies the space God intended for him or her, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, without intruding in attitude or action into the space of others.

The Father sent Jesus to occupy His space as the God-man during His time on earth. In His humanity, Jesus accepted and functioned fully in that space. His union with the Father, through the Holy Spirit, enabled Him to carry out the Father’s will in perfect submission and obedience to Him. Therefore, He could both claim…

Matthew 11:29 NIV
[29] “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

…and act in humility.

John 13:5 NIV
[5] “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

What was the space the Father prepared for Jesus to occupy?

Mark 10:45 NIV
[45] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

He came as a servant to serve both God and man.

A servant can only serve, first, when he accepts his position and role as a servant.

John 13:3 NLT
[3]”Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

Jesus was fully aware of His position in the heavenly realm. He was God with all the authority and power of His divine nature. His humanity did not take away His attributes of deity, only veiled them for a season.

To fulfil His role as the ‘Ebed Yahweh’ of Isaiah’s messianic prophecies, the servant of the Lord, Jesus had to choose to be a servant. There was no resistance or reluctance in His attitude towards the Father. He was a servant who fully embraced and carried out His role.

Philippians 2:6-7 NLT
[6] “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being…”

Although Jesus was a servant…a slave in fact, the meaning of ‘doulos’…He never acted from a slave mentality. He knew who He was, in every sense of the word. He was God Himelf, veiled in a human being. However, He chose to be a Son, completely subject to His Father, during His time on earth.

As Charles Wesley so ably wrote,

“Let heaven and earth combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
Th’incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made man.

“He laid His glory by,
He wrapped Him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of days He here became,
And bore the loved Immanuel’s name.”
(Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord (London: William Strahan, 1745), number 5.)

Jesus’ commitment to be a faithful servant of the Father coloured His every thought and action. Being a servant of God both humbled Him to serve sinful humans and elevated Him to the high office of an atoning sacrifice.

The Apostle Paul adopted the same attitude as Jesus in his life of serving and suffering. He accepted his role as Christ’s slave with unswerving loyalty and obedience, together with the authority his role gave him to act for Jesus.

Philippians 1:1 NLT
[1] “This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.”

Paul viewed his suffering as an offering of worship and a badge of office. He rejoiced in the privilege of pouring out his life of service to others as a sacrifice to God.

Philippians 2:17 NLT
[17]”But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.”

He knew who he was but he never lorded his position as an apostle over those he served. He used his authority at times but only to stamp the authority of Jesus on the behaviour of God’s people. His authority lay in the anointing of the Holy Spirit for his office as an apostle. He had no authority of his own. Before God, he was an empty vessel bearing the glory of God’s presence in him.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
[7] “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

Even the Apostle John wrote, “As He was in the world, so are we.”

And so, Jesus could take up a towel and water, and wash His disciples filthy, smelly feet and lose nothing of His person, His position, His dignity, or His authority. His love for the Father called from Him His unique response…and example.

John 13:14-15 NLT
[14]”And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. [15] I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

John 13:16-17 NLT
[16]”I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. [17] Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”

We are stamped with the image of God, redeemed and recreated in the likeness of His Son. We have His name, His power of attorney, and His Spirit in us. We are holy and beloved, God’s own children, elevated to co-heirs with Jesus, seated with Him in the heavenly realm…

…but we are His slaves, ‘douloi’

For love of the Father, He calls us to serve.

THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

April 13, 2021Bible Studyfear, slave, sonshipLuella Campbell

THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh you will die but if, by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:12-17.

What magical words! We are no longer slaves but sons!

We have a Father who is a perfect Dad – not one who disappoints us, who abuses or neglects us or one constantly judges or punishes us because of our immature behaviour. And we have His Spirit who lives in us, who reassures us that we are God’s children and who enables us to call out to our Daddy, “Abba. Pappa!’ because that is who God is to us.

Jesus came to earth primarily to reveal the Father.

“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do…I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world…” John 17:4; 6.

He patiently taught His disciples and showed them by His works the true nature of God as their heavenly Father. The first message He gave to Mary for His disciples after His resurrection was startling, to say the least!

“Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” John 20:17.

The implications are huge! Not only have we been given the right to be called children of God, but we are also on the same level of sonship as Jesus is. Whatever privileges he enjoyed as God’s son are now ours because we is His brothers and sisters.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10, 11.

Wow! Imagine that! There is no God like our God. What grace that we should be called children of God, and even more than that, that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters! This means that God has the same love for us that He has for His Son. We enjoy the same status and privileges that Jesus enjoys. We have been raised with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6); we share His inheritance – His nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4) and we will reign with Him in His eternal kingdom.

“But aren’t you being presumptuous?” you ask. Certainly not if I am simply repeating what God’s word says.

But there is a condition. God’s grace has freed us from the penalty of our sin. He has removed our guilt and re-established us in His family as His sons and daughters. He has given us His Spirit as our Helper. “Now,” says Paul, “you have an obligation to live the life He has freed you to live. No more selfish indulging!”

If we do not respond to God’s grace by putting our sinful ways to death with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will perish just as surely as though we were never rescued and restored to our place in the family of God. Without the evidence of a changed heart and new life, what we claim is nothing but empty words.

Bottom line – only those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God. Are you one of God’s children?

Acknowledgement

CAUGHT IN THE SPIDER’S WEB!

April 7, 2021Bible Studycommandment, death, slaveLuella Campbell

CAUGHT IN THE SPIDER’S WEB!

“Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognised as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” Romans 7:13-17.

The path of understanding how helpless we are without the Lord Jesus Christ is quite a tortuous one. Paul was obviously aware of his own spiritual journey from thinking that his law-keeping efforts were quite successful to realising that he fell very far short of God’s standards when he was honest enough to evaluate himself against the inward requirements of the law.

Paul came to realise that the law of God was only a measure, like a ruler, which accurately measured us against God’s holy standards. Therefore, the law had no power to do anything else but show him whether his life measured up or not. Therefore ,the law had no power to kill him. It only showed him whether he was worthy of death or not.

Sin is a factor of human life, but different religions define sin in different ways. For most, sin is defined by the values people attribute to their gods. If we keep in mind that people who reject the one true God create gods in their own image, the character and requirements of their gods depends on how they want to live their lives…which, of course, accurately reflects Adam’s rejection of his Creator in the beginning.

Satan offered him the alternative; you don’t have to obey God because He is short-changing you, keeping you from partaking of the fruit of that one tree. If you listen to me, you can make your own rules. However, Satan did not tell him to read the small print, the part that said, “If you follow my way, you will be my slave. You won’t really be free because you will be in my power and I will see to it that you utterly destroy yourself!” So, Adam fell for the devil’s little scheme and lost the freedom he had, to become a slave of sin.

God’s standard did not change. What changed was Adam’s ability to live up to it because his Helper, the Holy Spirit, had left him. He was on his own and helpless, like an insect caught in a spider’s web. The more he struggled, the more he became entangled in its death grip. He knew what was right because God’s law was written within his conscience, but he could not do anything about it.

All the law could do was to show him how far away from God’s ways he really was. Like the insect in the spider’s web, he could see the big wide world out there but he was powerless to get out of the web and fly free as he was created to do. Release from the silk’s sticky grip could only come if someone intervened and set him free.

A battle raged within him. He knew what was right because his conscience spoke loud and clear, but he could not do what was right because his natural bent towards sin was too strong. Like a bowling wood, he always veered off the straight path towards satisfying the demands of his selfish nature. He could neither silence his conscience by defending himself, nor appease it by living the right way. The very fact that his conscience accused him was an indication that he knew and agreed with what was right.

Guilt and self-loathing tormented him. But most of all, he was in despair because no amount of law-keeping could undo his past or give him hope for his future. Like the insect, he could only wait to be devoured. The same law that showed him how holy God is, would judge him and condemn him to eternal death. His problem was on the inside and no amount of trying to do good things would change his heart.

That’s the problem with man-made religions. Every ritual people perform, every regulation they adhere to cannot change their hearts. Washing their bodies, wearing special garments, eating or not eating certain foods, offering animal sacrifices, putting food in front of idols, bowing down to wood or stone, being nice to animals – are all in vain because none of these things can pay the debt of sin or change the heart.