I once saw a cartoon depicting a group of shackled prisoners standing on a dock, waiting for a Roman galley that was pulling into port. "That's a great ship," one mused. "I wonder what makes it go?"

The sketch reminded me of the words of the apostle Paul: "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ" (1 Corinthians 4:1). Paul used an unusual Greek word for servants. Literally, it means "under-rowers," and in that day it referred to the slaves that pulled the oars in Roman warships.

What a striking word picture! The great apostle, who could have asserted his authority, considered himself a mere galley slave in the hold of the ship with the rest of God's people, pulling on an oar with everyone else.

This is different from our usual concept of leadership. We tend to think of a regally dressed captain standing on the deck of a great sailing vessel, "calling the shots" and controlling the ship.

The Lord Jesus is our true Captain. The direction in which a church or any other ministry goes, the speed with which it develops, and the size to which it grows is His prerogative. Our task, no matter what our position or work, is to keep our eyes on Jesus and to keep on rowing.  — David H. Roper