Douleou
“…and he shall serve him for life.”
I am not a Greek scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I learned somewhere that Douleou is a Greek word which means “to serve as a slave.” In the New Testament, this word is applied to believers in Christ, and is translated as “servants.”
In a sense all Christians are slaves of Jesus Christ because we belong to Him. He rescued us from our previous slavery to sin and redeemed (or bought) us for himself. We are not our own (I Corinthians 6:19, 20).
If this is the case, then why are so many believers failing to serve the Lord of their souls? On average, only five to ten percent of church members are active in some kind of ministry. What about the rest?
The real name for a Christian is “disciple,” from which we get the common word “discipline.” A disciple is someone who follows his Master and serves him. Therefore if we are Christ’s disciples we ought to follow and serve him; and if we serve, then we are servants, servants of the Lord.
Are you a douleou?
God can use you as a minister (or servant) if you ask him to give you a servant’s heart.
“I love Jesus, he is my Lord
Only him I will obey
I will pray and read his Word,
And will serve him night and day”
