slave Of CHRIST--Possession Of JESUS (Essay 3)

Slave: a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a person entirely under the domination of a person or of some influence, such as -- slave to drugs/booze, slave to fashion: a person who is a helpless and hapless victim to an overpowering influence that in effect "owns" the person.

i was a slave to sin. TOday, i am a slave of CHRIST. JESUS is my Owner, i am HIS possession. He paid a price for me -- a price that is infinitely steep. He bought me with His own blood that was shed on that shame-FULL cross (see 1 Corinthians 6:20).  WHAT an amazing, awe-FULL, extremely astonishing, exceedingly incredible FACT!

How do i live this redeemed life that is now under the LORDship of JESUS? Oswald Chambers hit a bull's eye when he wrote in My Utmost For His Highest -- "those IN CHRIST no longer have rights to their rights." Just like a slave who has no rights at all, with utter gratefulness, i have willingly surrendered all my imagined rights to CHRIST, my Owner, my Master -- my LORD (see 2 Peter 1:1, CHSB).

JESUS owns my body. i will to no longer dishonor it with sexual immorality, gluttony or other destructive behaviors. This outer shell, this physical dwelling place of my soul is the outward expression of my IN CHRISTness (see Romans 12:1). i will clothe this body to please CHRIST; and He will adorn my inner person with the incorruptible beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:4).

JESUS owns my mind. i will to no longer trash it with pornography, lewd TV programs, soul-deadening novels and magazines. CHRIST has redeemed my mind, continually renewing and transforming my mindset so that i am more and more sober minded -- less and less conformed to the culture of this world. i now eagerly desire HIS thoughts -- which are in ALL ways pure and holy ALWAYS. i make it my goal to subjugate and submit my thoughts to His infinitely wise mind.

JESUS owns my eyes. i zealously guard these windows to my soul. i made a covenant with my eyes (Job 31:1) that i will not pay attention to crude, indecent, unwholesome images that pollute my vision. i will to not allow them entrance through my eyes, this type of satanic degradation of our GOD-given sexuality.

JESUS owns my ears. i will not to listen to obscenities that typify rap music, to poisonous gossip, to backbiting and backstabbing stories (see Ephesians 4:31), to malicious sharing disguised as prayer requests, to sermons which do not glorify or magnify JESUS and His Gospel, to sexually charged word-pictures which feed my natural proclivity to depravity.

JESUS owns my feet. i go where HE wants me to go. i will no longer go anywhere just for the sake of self-centered adventures. Where He prompts me to go, where He leads, i will follow (see Psalm 23:3). Wherever He directs my feet, i will go -- not balking with 1,000+ questions, not protesting with "but... but... BUT!" -- trusting that HE has already blazed the trail.

JESUS owns my hands. They are to be used for HIS good works, for open-handed giving, for sharing His comfort through a loving touch. My hands are His to be used towards all godliness.

JESUS owns "my" money. i am called to use it responsibly -- to spend it wisely -- not wastefully. When He prompts me to give, it is my joy-FULL response to cheer-FULLY give away HIS money (2 Corinthians 9:7)! i am also to share the talents He has gifted for the building up of His church, His body (1 Corinthians 14:12).

JESUS owns my mouth, my speech. What comes forth -- words, tone, truthfulness, volume, attitudes -- are filtered through HIS standard. i strive for my words to be CHRISTlike -- kind, intelligent, wise, building up, clean and wholesome. i study to be ready in all seasons to give good Biblical counsel, but more importantly -- to share the GOOD NEWS as prompted by the Holy SPIRIT (see Isaiah 52:7).

JESUS owns my heart. My affections are now to line up with what HE loves. He took away my hardened, stony heart and gave me a  new heart that's tender and sensitive for the things that are dear to Him (see 2 Corinthians 3:3). HE directs my emotions towards those things of eternal value -- true love, true joy, true peace. His love compels me.

JESUS owns me -- ALL of me...my body, my mind, my personality, my spirit, my love, my ambitions -- ALL!

Because i know who i am -- i know what to do. 

i know that i am a well-beloved slave of THE most fascinating, most captivating, most admirable, most delight-FULL, most generous, most compassionate, most gentle and tenderhearted, most power-FULL, most glorious, most holy, most brilliant, most enchanting, most marvelous, most magnificent, most wise, MOST LOVABLE MAN who is also the SOVEREIGN RULER and SOVEREIGN GOD of the entire Creation!

i know what to do because i know who i am. 

i fall on my face in exceeding adoration. i dance to HIS tune with JOY inexpressible. i worship JESUS 24/7 as practice for the eternal gathering in the Kingdom of GOD when all who have received JESUS as LORD will wholeheartedly and blissfully worship HIM -- the perfect sinless LAMB of GOD who died for wretched sinners like me. i sit at His feet, feeding on His EVERY Word, getting FAT in my soul! i get down on my knees and bow down, with both hands raised in praise, and call HIM, "my LORD and my GOD!"

CHRIST JESUS. WHAT a Name! WHAT a Master! WHAT a GRAND privilege to be HIS very own possession!

And you? Are you owned by god -- or by GOD?

slave of JESUS -- The GODMan (Essay 2)

JESUS is now my Master...and i, His slave. i am a slave of the GODMan. WHAT a very GREAT privilege it is that i can name The CHRIST my Master!

Master JESUS, though He was GOD...gave up His divine privileges, took the humble position of a Slave and was born as a human being. In His human form, He HUMBLED Himself in OBEDIENCE to GOD and died a criminal's death on a Cross -- in order to REDEEM wretched sinners like me from the slave market of SIN. (Philippians 2:7-8, NLT)

SIN was my OLD master -- i was its slave. i served UNrighteousness and had NO desire for the Righteousness that is Of GOD. My heart of stone was most deceitful and desperately wicked...even i was blind to its badness. As i thought in my heart...so i was.

BUT The MASTER searched for me -- this truly lost, sold-out-to-SIN leprous soul -- this walking dead, who was less than a maggot. JESUS found me, clothed in my filthy rags of SELF-righteousness, worshiping the ME-god, deeply entrenched in the OLD Adamic nature -- carnal to the core. "Totally Depraved" was etched on my forehead; and were it not for the Holy SPIRIT's restraint, i would have been branded, "Totally, Utterly Depraved."

The LORD JESUS delivered me from my SINs. HE rescued me from SIN's slave market -- HE PAID for me. HE REDEEMED me with a Ransom Price of UNfathomable value -- the Shed BLOOD of GOD The SON. THIS GODMan, who lived a perfectly sinless, totally righteous and holy life on earth, DIED IN MY PLACE. HE took upon Himself the filthiness of my SINs and put upon me HIS cleansing Righteousness. AMAZING Great Exchange!

i was a slave to SIN -- TOday, a slave to RIGHTEOUSNESS. i was living in Darkness -- TOday, i am walking in The Light. i was a Child of Wrath -- TOday, i am a Child of GOD. i was destined to Hell -- TOday, i am Heaven bound, a citizen of the Kingdom of GOD. i was a loser, controlled by the lusts of the FLESH -- TOday, i am victorious, an Overcomer by the emPOWERing GRACE of the Holy SPIRIT. i was a prisoner of Satan -- TOday, The TRUTH Himself has set me FREE to choose to be OWNED by JESUS, my Master, my LORD, my GOD.

TOday i boast of Who my Master is and i boast of all He has done for all who are His very OWN. CHRIST JESUS is the greatEST Master, the greatEST Teacher, the greatEST King and LORD. CHRIST JESUS is always faithFUL, never EVER breaks promises -- His Word is ALWAYS Amen! 

JESUS is always patient, He always kind. JESUS does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. JESUS is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He keeps no record of wrongs. JESUS does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. JESUS always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. JESUS NEVER FAILS. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

JESUS feeds all who HUNGER spiritually for HE is the TRUE Bread. JESUS satisfies those who THIRST for GOD for HE is the LIVING Water. JESUS leads the narrow Way to green pastures and still waters. JESUS gives UNstintingly the limitless JOYs of HIS heavenly Kingdom. JESUS shares HIS RICH Inheritance from The FATHER to ALL who would RECEIVE His LORDship.

My Master is GOOD -- the ONLY ONE Who IS TRULY GOOD. It's an awesomely amazing, altogether-incredible REALITY to be owned by JESUS, The GODMan! i am awestruck at the utter wonder of it all -- finally realizing, experientially and very personally, the TRUTH of THIS Amazing GRACE that has been gifted to me: GOD GAVE me GOD!

GOD gave me GOD. (John 3:16)

Because i am IN CHRIST -- the GODMan JESUS -- i am chosen, adopted, predestined as a daughter of GOD's Family; redeemed and forgiven of ALL my sins; graced with ABUNDANT Grace -- blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. PRAISE BE TO GOD, i am one of the called out ones and will be part of those gathered together IN CHRIST. (Ephesians 1)

What a GLORIOUS Calling to be a slave of CHRIST JESUS!  A slave who is a Friend of GOD. A slave who is a Child of GOD. A slave who is an Heir with CHRIST. A slave who calls GOD, "Abba" -- FATHER. WHAT a GRAND Privilege indeed! HALLELUJAH...AMEN!