In one of my devotions, I asked the LORD for wisdom about something that had been disturbing me for quite some time. I tend to be black-and-white — this or that — so when Paul in Scripture tells me I am God’s child and no longer a slave (Galatians 4:7), yet Paul refers to himself as a bondservant, it confuses me. So which one am I?

A bondservant is one who has been freed by his master, but because the servant delights in the service of his master, he makes a lifetime commitment to be his servant forever. He surrenders his freedom willingly.

So I put together a list of things that apply to royalty (as it would apply to me) as well as a list of things that apply to a servant, and I came up with these:

ROYALTY

• A daughter of the King
• A princess
• An heir
• An eternal relationship
• Humbled, having been adopted
• Chosen to be with the King
• Enjoys the King’s bounty
• Performs the King’s will
• Subject to the King’s plans
• Represents the King; an Ambassador
• Goes where sent
• No own agenda

SERVANT

• Serves the King
• An eternal commitment
• Humbled; having been freed
• Chose to be with the King
• King’s kingdom; King’s rules
• Enjoys the King’s bounty
• Performs the King’s will
• Subject to the King’s plans
• Represents the King
• Goes where sent
• No own agenda

Seeing these, it occurred to me that other than the title and the inheritance, there isn’t much difference in the role. But one is a gift, and the other a response. God chose to adopt us. But as an adopted child, one would not feel entitled or arrogant, especially since the adoption had been paid extravagantly, in this case, with the life of the King’s own Son. A bondservant chooses to serve. It is because of the King’s character that causes the servant to willingly serve Him forever.

I am now comfortable with the idea of being a princess and a servant at the same time — to my God, my King. He provided the path for me to be His daughter, and I am thankful for this gift. And He provided a path to freedom as a slave, and in return I will commit myself to serve Him forever. I can choose to serve my Father, my King, and perform His assigned tasks according to His will.

Galatians 4:7
“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”