Slave: A Better Identity

Most of us have some type of emotion when we hear the world slave.  Often for obvious reasons the word slave has a negative connotation.  Contrary to popular belief all slaves didn't have a harsh life it was directly dependent of the graciousness of their Master.  What is interesting about a slave is that a slave doesn't have identity except for the identity that is given to them by their master.  Slaves had no rights, no privileges, their entire identity was granted to them by their master.  That's an interesting concept.  Many of the apostles refer to themselves as slaves.  To be more specific they referred to themselves as a slave of Jesus Christ ( James 1:1, Philemon 1:1, 2 Peter 1).

To be a slave of Christ was a badge of honor!!  When did that stop being the case?  What they were saying was that they were forsaking whatever prestige, status, ambitions, and desires they had to become a slave for Jesus Christ.  They were giving up their identity for a better one.  So stop looking for your identity in all the wrong places.  People look for their identity on the job, people look for identity in a car, people look for identity in a house, and people look for identity in relationships. These things are not bad in of themselves but Jesus offers you a better identity!!  To be his slave but unlike earthly masters who can be cruel listen to how God describes God's identity is Exodus 34:6 The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.  That's the kind of Master with have the opportunity to serve and did I mention God never changes!!


If you hear nothing else hear this: Jesus Gives Us A Better Identity!  We are all slaves to something might as well be slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18)! 

God bless,
Bondservant (slave) Hollis

I Just Wanna Be Successful

Hip Hop Artist Drake recently released his smash hit, "Successful" "he says he wants the money and the cars and the cars and the clothes."  Then he goes on to say I just wanna be successful.  Truth be told the culture we live in breeds this kind of thinking.  Many Christians if they are honest really measure success in the same fashion.  Only difference is there is a # that says God is good at the end of the statement.  However is that really how God measures success? Is God really concern with how much one accumulates?  Is God really concern with you being successful?   Last I checked God does not measure success in the same manner we do:

• Moses didn't lead the children of Israel to the Promise Land but in God eyes he was successful.
• Isaiah preached many years to people who would not listen but in God eyes he was successful.

God measures success differently than the world does.  God measures success based on your faithfulness to his precepts and His word.  God measures success based on your obedience to the various things he has gifted and call you to do.  Being successful in God eyes may mean forsaking your comfortable lifestyle and foregoing the riches of this world however there will be a great reward for you on the other side glory.   The question we must really ask ourselves is whose success do we really want?  What does our actions say about whose success we are trying to obtain?

P.S. God is not anti-success but God is anti-idolatry that is to say when you desire success more than Him therein lies the problem.


Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 4:7-8

God bless,
Bondservant Hollis