I Am NOT A Slave!

I had the privilege of hearing my dad preach this past weekend on an peculiar topic for a Sunday morning: slavery. Somewhere in the middle of my mommy-hood distracted-ness, the message he was preaching hit me full force and I allowed it to change something in me. So here are my scattered notes from that, in case you're interested in some deep thinking... 

People's search for freedom only leads them to a different kind of slavery. We live in a place that declares freedom, celebrates freedom, fights for freedom. But the reality is that no man is truly free. You can only be made free from one kind of slavery by becoming a slave of another kind. 

What? That's outrageous! 

But the Bible concurs...aren't we set free from bondage to sin and death by making Jesus our Lord and Master? And, yes, the heart-stopping, breath-taking thing is that this amazing Lord in turn says, "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:7)  

Yet just like the Galatians, after we have received such unmerited love and grace, we turn back and allow ourselves to become slaves again! You can hear the frustration in the apostle Paul's tone: "But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?" (Gal. 4:9)

It's easy to read quickly past statements like that, only half-understanding what they mean or how we should relate. There are certain types of slavery identified in the book to the Galatians, but the preacher (mentioned at the beginning of this post) spoke about four kinds:

*slavery to the devil (very literally in many cases), 

*to the world (the powerful currents of success, materialism, self-absorbancy), 

*to religiosity (the empty routine that robs us of true joy & a real relationship with God), 

*and to the flesh (the worst kind of slavery, since it's internal). 

That last one mostly stuck a chord with me...so subtle that it actually convinces us it's part of our personality or mood or it's even our right! When the Bible speaks of "the flesh" or "the sinful nature", it means the natural tendencies that us humans have towards evil and sin, which Jesus died to save us from. After accepting Jesus' gift of salvation, we undergo a life transformation that not only changes our permanent status from eternally dying to eternally living, but gives us a place as God's child and heir! Not a slave, but a prince or princess! Not a servant but a friend! That is our identity. But so often, so easily, we accept living as a slave after Jesus has declared us so gloriously free. When we let our actions be dominated by our negative character, desires, attitudes...we are giving in to that flesh slavery and not allowing God to be our King. 

The evidence of living in this kind slavery is obvious (says Gal. 5:19-21): jealousy, idolatry, impurity, hatred, discord, fits of rage, selfish ambition, envy, divisions, and other ugly words (and quite familiar too!). A slave lives in fear, insecurity, and vulnerability to hurt and abuse. 

We need freedom from our internal chains more than freedom from our outward circumstances because those are the chains that are hindering us from being who God wants us to be and who we desire to be. A child of God finds his or her true freedom not in independence but in submitting to the will and authority of God. 

He who acts like a slave is actually a slave. It's time to take steps of action and choose to let Christ dominate, not our flesh. A child of God lives in freedom. It's time to live out who He says we are with confidence and determination. 

..........I am challenged to stop justifying certain parts of 

my "character" or "mood" and truly let God reign in my life. 

I'm challenged to actively cultivate the "fruit of the Spirit" 

(opposite of the tendencies of the "flesh" Gal. 5:22-23): 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

Oh how much I have yet to learn!