Today's Word

 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God....   Romans 1:1

Today's Thought

 Daily, I see so many people that really don’t know who they are.  In the fast pace of today’s society, I think there is a huge identity crisis.  Some people define themselves by their occupation.  Some identify themselves by their belief system.  Others define themselves by their political affiliation.  There are so many things that we can use to define who we are, and unfortunately, many have tried to define themselves by too much.  Over and over again I see Paul define himself by two things: a bondservant and an apostle.

For so many years, I have defined myself by what takes up the majority of my time.  I work hard to provide for my family, so I define myself as a breadwinner.  If I want to go into detail about what I do, I may define myself as a firefighter or as a paramedic.  But those things don’t really define me, they merely state what I do to provide for my family’s well-being.  I’m passionate about doing them, but my existence is not defined by them.  Therefore, who am I?  What terms can I use to define who I am at my core.  In other words, if I stop working as a firefighter/ paramedic tomorrow, would I cease to exist?  No!  So what things are such an integral part of my life that they tie in to my own existence.  Now those things should be used to define me.

I love that Paul refers to himself as a bondservant.  I choose to identify myself in the same manner.  A bondservant is a servant by choice.  They have been given the choice of freedom, but they know that life is better with their master than it could ever be out own their own.  Therefore, I am a bondservant.  I choose to be wholly defined by my relationship with Yahweh.  He is my master and my Lord.  Now Paul also states that he is called to be an apostle.  An apostle is a leader of the church.  That is a calling from God placed onto Paul.  Paul cannot claim that unless God told him of that calling.  Now, that’s where I have to work with God to see just what He has for me to do.  If I live according to the purpose He has set before me, then I KNOW that there is no better life for me to grasp.  Therefore, in my need to define myself, I choose to be a bondservant.  And I humbly approach the Master and ask Him to reveal His divine purpose for the rest of my days.  In that, I find full contentment and joy!

Today's Prayer

 Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to me and opening my blind eyes to the glory of the Gospel message!  Lord, I seek none other than You.  I honor no one but You!  For You are worth the entirety of my praise!  Father, open my eyes to greater understanding as I seek to live my life wholly set apart for Your purpose!  Open the doors before me that You choose for me to walk through.  Bring relationships into being that need to happen for all things to come to pass.  Father, You and I both know the sincerity of my heart, so I will remain patiently faithful each and every day as I see Your glory unfold!  Lord, do not let me look over the beauty of each individual moment while I wait for Your fullness.  Help me to be intentionally involved in every second of my life!  Lord, I want to represent You well in all aspects of my life, and one of the things that I am most sure about You is that You are fully present with me each and every moment of my life.  Therefore, help me share Your glorious truth and beautiful love each and every moment of the rest of my life!  In Jesus’ name, Amen!