To be completely dependent upon Jesus Christ—to be counted as his slave, to be dependent upon and belong forever to one who loves so deeply that he died for us and calls us to a good place—should fill us with peace, knowing that this Lord cares for us perfectly and will provide for us. Not only that but he will never let us leave his goodness (John 10:27-28). We can therefore trust his providence in our lives and rest and depend upon him confidently.

To whom do you belong? What a counter-cultural question. It’s jarring to our modern sensibilities. We want to scream from the roof top, “I don’t belong to anyone!” I’m my own person, I create my own path and future. I am responsible for my own wellbeing and sense of purpose. I am the captain of my own ship. I make my own decisions based on my own knowledge of what’s good for me.

Yet, do we really feel all that much in control of our own destinies? Do we really feel we are competent guides in this turbulent world? Do we secretly wish there was someone or something that had answers to our anxiety, loneliness, emotional distress, constant anger, lack of motivation, heartbreak, and sorrow? Is there someone who is a true friend, someone with whom we can let our guard down?

Life is hard, and we wish we didn’t have to bear the weight of our entire destiny on our own shoulders. For those of us who realize that we can’t control every facet of our lives, we don’t have all the answers, and depending solely on our own resources only drains and discourages us, the words of the apostle Peter will come as a relief.

Simon Peter called himself a slave.

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:1).

While many Bible translations read “servant” in verse 1 of Second Peter, the actual term in biblical Greek (δοῦλος; “doulos”) means “slave.” Why would Peter use such a term to describe his relationship to Jesus Christ? Modern people are much more comfortable with terms like children of God when referring to believers so why the word “slave”?

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