We are all servants of someone or something.  In Romans 6:16, Paul said, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”  We are all either servants of sin or obedience.

To be a servant of sin is to be under the rule of the devil. In such cases, Satan is the master, leading people to a life of disobedience to God, the end of which is death.  To be a servant of obedience, on the other hand, is to be under the rule of God. The end of being a servant of God is righteousness and life (Romans 6:23).

We all choose whose servant we want to be. The devil cannot make us be his servants.  If we serve him, it is voluntary.  God has the power to force us to be His servants, but He does not want to do that.  Instead, He created us as free moral agents and leaves it up to us to decide who we will serve.  So, whose servant do you want to be?  Whose servant have you chosen to be?  Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of a true servant of God.

In Character They Are Sanctified.   To be a servant of God one must live a sanctified life. When one obeys the gospel, he is sanctified by the Spirit of God (1 Peter 1:2). To be sanctified is to be set apart from the world and devoted to God. The Spirit accomplishes sanctification through the instrumentality of the Word. Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The servant of God walks in accordance with this Word and is, therefore, separated from the majority of people in the world.

In Work They Are Occupied.  One cannot accurately claim to be a servant of God if he is not working. Servants serve. God has given us work to do, and we must do it. Jesus is our great example in this area. “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day…” (John 9:4).  If we remember what we are, we will follow in the steps of Jesus and serve God.

“I must work” should be the mentality of us all, especially if we view ourselves as servants of God. We should realize that we cannot just do any work, we must do God’s work.  A lot of work is done by people who think that they are serving God, but it is not God’s work at all because it has not been authorized by His Word (Colossians 3:17). Servants of God are occupied doing God’s business, i.e., they are engaged in doing the good works revealed in the New Testament (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

In Life They Are Exemplified.  Because of the work servants of God perform, they stand out in society. Servants of God can hardly go unnoticed. Their life shines forth as a beacon of light, teaching a dying world how they ought to live, and glorifying the God of heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Paul once told the Corinthians that they were epistles of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:3). We also occupy such a position in the world today. People of the world are constantly reading us and getting some kind of message. If we are servants of God, they are getting the right message that emphasizes loyalty to God.

In Teaching They Are Certified.  Servants of God teach that which was delivered by the apostles. Paul said, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11, 12). While we do not receive direct revelation as Paul did, we teach only that which has been revealed. Servants of God abide in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9) and contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). They are defenders of the gospel (Philippians 1:7, 17).

Make the right choice! Be a servant “of obedience unto righteousness.” Serve God with all your heart, and live, not just now, but throughout eternity.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.