I am so excited for Christine Caine’s new book, “Unashamed”.  Shame is definitely a tool the devil uses to keep us down, to keep us divided, to keep us in chains.  Whether it was something that you chose, some bad way that you behaved or something that was done to you, shame is a real and debilitating feeling for some of us; even women in the church.

But here’s a few of the things that the Bible has to say about what our life as a Christian should be like:

1. A life where we are more than conquerors. (Romans 3:37)
2. A life where we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:16)
3. A life where we are joyful in tribulation.  (2 Corinthians 7:4)
4. A life in which we are anxious for nothing.  (Philippians 4:6)
5. A life of praying without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
6. A life in which we do ALL in the name of Jesus.  (Colossians 3:17)
7. A life of being transformed to the image of Jesus.  (Romans 8:29)
8. A life of Thanksgiving! (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
9. A life governed by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)
10. A life where we pursue holiness.  (2 Corinthians 7:1)
11. A life lived ON PURPOSE and WITH A MISSION. (Matthew 28:19)
12. A life where we have access to EVERY spiritual blessing.  (Ephesians 1:3)

So the question then becomes, why aren’t more of us living like this?  So many people are delivered, “saved” if you will.  After all, the Bible says if we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth, we are saved.  And we settle for this tiny little part of His gift.  We still live in lies, greed, anger, etc.  We walk around and around in the desert just like the Israelites, never really getting out of that circle we are walking.  We don’t truly have our priorities straight.

And yet, our focus, our priority should always be doing God’s work; being a bondservant of God.  I heard a sermon many years ago and in it was the pastor’s story about what a bondservant actually is.  He explained that when the slaves were freed, some of them actually went back to their previous master and signed up to actually be their slave.  Instead of being something that was forced on them, it was their personal choice to go back and work for this master again.  In essence, the salve “bound” himself to the master willingly.

I love this picture.  It tells me that the slave had a connection with the master.  It screams that the master was nice, not one that would whip or punish.  It tells me that the servant must have loved the master so much that he didn’t want to go out and find a life without him.  And doesn’t that just describe the way we feel about our Master and Lord?

So today, instead of focusing on yourself, some self-help image you have in your head, or some pressing appointment you have, let’s just sit back and concentrate on what we can do for God, our Master.  And in the next blog:  How to be an actual servant of God.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Matthew 6:19-21