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VS. April 25, 2025 Devotional

by David Joynt on April 25, 2025


ROMANS 1:1 | 1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

 

The race for honor, for a place in the hierarchy of the empire was called the “cursus honorum.” But in this opening to the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul identifies himself with the most abject and despised category of people, the servant/slave. In fact, since Jesus was a servant, Paul was a servant of a servant! This is a revolution in human understanding, a radical departure in the measure of value. It is not greatness that is great, but sacrificial love. It is not recognition or power or status—we measure our lives by a new kingdom standard—how we bless, help, empower, and free others.

 

How do you define greatness?

 

 

Gracious God,

Help me to be a servant of the servant. Help me see the value and dignity of others so I can run my race with humility.

Amen.

 

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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