MONDAY, MAY 15
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Psalm 138:6

"…the ministers of Christ, and
stewards of the mysteries of God."

LOWLY SERVANTS

In order to remove the ungodly personality cults in the Corinthian church, Paul reminded the believers of his and his co-labourers’ lowly status. The Corinthian Christians must never regard Paul and his associates to be higher than they ought!

Paul used two descriptions to illustrate his lowliness. The first description "ministers" is huperetai which literally means "an under-rower." This term is used of slaves labouring on board a ship. They were usually placed at the lower deck with the task of rowing the ship through waters. The slaves were submissive to the commander, and were thus of lowly position. The second description is the term "stewards" (oikonomous). These were house supervisors under the direction of the master. The steward was not allowed to make his own rules, but must ensure that the household was run according to his master’s conditions.

If Paul and his associates were but lowly "under-rowers" and stewards of the Lord, how should the Corinthian Christians evaluate them? The key quality for consideration is "faithfulness" and not the intellect or charisma of the person.

Oftentimes, a minister is judged by others based on his eloquence, looks and charm. They listen to his sermon and exclaim, "What a wonderful message!" They do not evaluate the content to see if it was preached according to God’s Word. Neither do they evaluate to see if the life of the preacher reflects a whole-hearted devotion to the Lord. Dearly beloved, judge righteous judgment!

On the other hand, this writer knows of an elderly pastor who was faithful to the end. His mantra was "call pastor anytime." He was true to his motto. That is what it means to be a lowly servant of the Lord.

THOUGHT: Christ’s humility demands my humility.
PRAYER: Lord, help Thy lowly servant to be faithful unto death.