It's Time To Laugh Series

Is that how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a servant/slave of Christ? Why am I asking this question and what does that have to do with joy, or laughter?

Many Christians see themselves, not as servants, but as volunteers. A volunteer gets to choose the agenda. A servant does not. A volunteer gets to define the terms of his or her service. A true servant must be obedient to the will of the master. Do you see yourself as a volunteer for Christ or a servant of Christ? Paul saw himself as a slave of Christ. That is where we begin.

Saints

We begin by understanding our freedom from sin and our allegiance to Christ. But we don’t stop there. You see, becoming a servant of Christ brings us into a new position before God. We are now, not just servants, but saints.

Paul addresses his letter to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi. Once we’ve surrendered to Christ we are placed in the position of being saints.

The word that is translated saints literally means holy ones. It refers to those who have been set apart for God. Most of us are familiar with the Roman Catholic view of saints. The Bible clearly states that every Christian is a saint. A saint is not someone who has performed three miracles and been canonized by the church. A saint is someone who has been set apart by God to be part of his family. If you’ve invited Jesus into your life, the Bible says you’re a saint!

You probably saying, You don’t know my husband/wife. Or, I sure don’t feel like a saint. To that I would reply, Thank God that you don’t have to feel like a saint to be a saint. The way that you start to feel like a saint is to realize that you are a saint. You’ll never feel like a saint and live like a saint unless you start to see yourself as a saint. Remember, you are not a saint because you are perfect. You are a saint because God has said that you are. It’s really as simple as that.

Here’s an amazing truth I’ve observed, we tend to live up to our own image of ourselves. If we have a poor self-image, we will live down to that. If we have a good self-image, we will live up to that. The problem is in who we let define us. Most people let the wrong people define them. If I am going to be defined by anybody, I want to be defined by God.

Not only are we servants and saints, God has a definite purpose for us. Notice that he is writing to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi. The implication is not simply that they happened to be at that specific location but that they were there for a reason. God had placed them there. They were there to do God’s work in that place.

Do you see that you are placed in a specific location by God? God has a purpose for your life in this place. Where are you now? You are in this place. You are where God wants you to be. The real question is, what are you going to do here?

Are you waiting for the lightning to strike? Are you waiting for some miraculous sign? Quit waiting! Start acting. God has a purpose for your life, a ministry for you.

If you want to enjoy your life, understand your freedom from sin and your allegiance to Christ; you realize your position as a saint and your purpose to do God’s will.