When I was in Master’s Commission in Phoenix, one of the most important things we learned very early was what it meant to be a bondservant of Christ. This is not a popular topic, but then again, Jim and I are not known for our preaching on popular things! In our “it’s all about me” generation, this is not a topic one would hear in “happy church” – but it is a topic that is essential for the Revelation Days which are immediately upon us.
I believe we’re in a time frame in the Revelation of Christ where we need to review this topic again and determine the condition of our own individual hearts in regards to it.
I’m going to be doing a series of blogs about being a “bondservant” and I hope you will tune in. Please open your heart and your spiritual ears. We do not want to be among those who say “Lord, didn’t we do <fill in the blank> in your name? And then hear “away from Me – I do not know you!”
The term “bondservant” comes from the word dulos and is defined as:
- 1. a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
- 2. one who gives himself up to another’s will
- 3. those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
- 4. devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests
Being a bondservant of Christ means a lot of things. We are going to get started with just a reminder of some of the simple things we may have heard long ago in Sunday School, but forgotten as time and the pressures of our environment take its tolls.
The culture we live in subtly works against the principles of God in every way. The principles of the Kingdom of God are exactly upside down of what we hear and see in the world – but if we’re not careful, we accept the world’s attitudes and deceptiveness into our own lives and it creeps in on us. We repeat things that sound right, but aren’t – and the ultimate end of our not staying on the right path is missing the mark!
In the last 100 years especially, we have been inundated with the “I have a right” rhetoric in our country which has reached an absurd tempo and twisted the truths of God to call evil good, and good, evil. We are now disregarding the things of honor, and honoring wicked things.
Nobody is exempt.
Nobody is beyond deception.
We must guard our hearts and minds in the Last Days!
In order to stay on the right path in our thinking and in our Christian walk, we must revisit what the Word of God really says about living godly lives.
Jesus is our Supreme Example:
“… but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)
Jesus came to serve:
“For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. (Luke 22:27)
Jesus is the epitome of servant leadership. He humbled himself to wash the feet of his disciples, a task thought to be the lowest of any servant. Yet, Jesus did even more… He died on a cross – crucified so that we would live. He was and is the Master who taught us what it means to lead by serving.
Be sure to tune in for this continuing study of what it means to be a bondservant of Christ. Together we can keep it real, and keep it right.
(continued)
Love,
Lori
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 2
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 3
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 4
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 5
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 6
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 7
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 8
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 9
On Being a Bondservant of Christ – Part 10
I have been watching the show, seeing the sorrow of those who lost
everything. I heard Jim speak of how he lost everything. At about
the same time this happened in his life, I too lost everything.
A few months before this happened in my own life, I had a dream.
I dreamed I walked into a large storehouse in heaven. There was a
lady sitting at a desk. I asked her what was this place? It was
filled with everything one needed. She answered me, This is God’s
storehouse. Where you are going you will need many things. Just
ask and God will give out of his vast storehouse to you. In the
dream I saw a bedroom set I loved. I said, can that be mine. She smiled and said it already is. A few months later in a time of
despair I was living in another state. Sleeping on the floor.
I had lost everything. Not to long after that God gave me a bedroom
set, it was the very same one in my dream. In fact for a while he
gave me so much stuff, and I know its not about the stuff, but I was
able to help furnish other’s homes. God will give Dino another
piano, one that will amaze him. He will give double for the trouble.
I see it in Jim’s life, had he not lost everything, he would not
be touching lives like he is today. God heals the broken heart,
and uses that heart of compassion to help the hurting.
Lori: We are praying for you and Jim. Keep focused and your eyes on
the goal. You know God does not give us no more than we can bare. When we are in the valley it is very difficult to get back up the mountain. Your valley walking friends will be there for you and Jim. I saw Dino and Cheryl on TV in the boat. We are praying for them and all the flood victims. Maybe now more people will get prepared. God Bless. LaVonne
Lori,
God Bless you for this post!!! This is a actually confirmation because I have been hearing “prepare, prepare”!! This article is just the spiritual food that I needed to digest to prepare me! I can’t wait for the rest of this series! Such a blessing! I watch the show online because I don’t have it on cable (we have verizon). May God bless you!
lori- I love your message,I have been in spiritual warfare (extreme) during the last 2 months and it has been awful….I think satan knows we are going to be on top in the end and he cant stand it….but he might as well get used to it…. because we true christians have already won.I saw the show with dino today and I feel so bad for him…he tries to be strong, but I know his heart is broken and so is yours and jims …but as larry bates said, God saved daniel (through) the den, not (from) it, and God saved kadrach,meschach,and abednego THROUGH the fire, not FROM the fire, so I felt your pain lori, and I prayed for you last night, and to uplift you and jim,because you are doing a great job, and I personally make it through my workday much easier when I have watched your show in the morning that I have dvr’ed(is that a real word?)ha! I could not live without your show and seeing you and jim everyday.You two are the cutest couple!!!MATTHEW 24:10 And thenshall many be offended, and shall betray one another,and shall hate one another.12And because iniquity shall abound,the love of many shall wax cold.13 But he that shall endure to the end,the same shall be saved. THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE!Love, jan
Thank you for this wonderful reminder…It sounds so HUGE. I keep saying “stay on the path, stay on the path”……God Bless You for bringing this subject up again!…I watched your show that included Dino today..I am praying for you…God’s Love, Kathryn
Lori,
Thank you for teaching on this topic. It is so important to our Christian walk. When I first came to the Lord I worked with leaders in the church who laid this groundwork in my life. And I have been so thankful to them for doing so. I am still working on being a bondservant of Christ, but I know this is what the Lord desires in each of His followers. It is a difficult walk because at times you feel like a fish swimming upstream, against the flow of the world. I tried to apply this principle in my work as a manager before I retired, being a servant to those under me, and I saw real fruit develop not only in my life but also in my employees. God bless you for helping us to understand this principle.
Blessings to you and Jim.