Slaves - of what?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Romans 5-6; Psalm 135

TO CHEW ON: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?" Romans 6:16.

Slaves? That sounds extreme. By using the startling analogy of slavery, Paul pictures our life choices in a very either/or, black/white way. Is he saying Christians can actually still be slaves of sin?

What I understand this passage to mean is that even as people who have accepted God's gift of salvation and are legally free, it is possible to live as slaves of our old master, sin. We humans have been born with a nature to which sinning comes naturally. How easy it is, even after we've been set free, to slip back into old habit patterns of worry, envy, pride, anger, unforgiveness etc. etc., that is, patterns of sin.

Paul urges these Roman Christians to resist old reactions and instead prove that they are slaves of Christ by living in obedience to His standards of righteousness.

But, I can hear you say, slavery has a bad connotation. I don't want my life with Christ to be characterized in such a negative way.

Even Paul acknowledges the unfortunate aspect of this metaphor: "I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh..." he says. But then he goes on to extend and explain it even further: "For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness" Romans 6:19.

But Paul is not giving a mere "just do it" message. Something real happened when we gave our lives to Jesus and began living in the realm of grace. Romans 6:23 reminds us we have been "set free from sin" and have in a real sense "become slaves of God."

So let's use this slavery picture to flesh out and affirm our freedom from sin and our enslavement to the "fruit of holiness and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 6:22).  Today when we're at a decision crossroads:
- about whether to fret about the difficult thing on today's to-do list, or place it in God's hands and refuse to worry about it any more.
- about whether to eat one more helping or push back from the table.
- about whether to react to the person who cuts us off in traffic — or not.
- or about a hundred other situations
we can ask ourselves: What would a slave of Jesus do in this situation? And then choose to do it.


PRAYER: Dear God, please show me where I am a slave to sinful tendencies and am habitually making sinful choices. Help me to enslave myself to You today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 135


The Bible Project VIDEO: Romans - Part 2 of 2 (Read Scripture Series)



*************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A life of balance

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 23:15-25

TO CHEW ON: "Do not mix with winebibbers
or with gluttonous eaters of meat
For the drunkard and glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:19-20

There are lots of reality shows these days that expose peoples obsessions and the fallout from them. I usually avoid them. Perhaps that's because I don't like to face what people are (I am) capable of.

The Bible speaks a lot about two common human obsessions: drunkenness and gluttony—problems we still face today, along with many others.

One of our newer obsessions is with our electronic devices. Go to any place people gather and you'll most likely see a lot of people interacting with their smart phones or tablets instead of the folks around them. Some experts have described this new phenomenon as an addiction.

Naturally not all addictions are equal. But we can learn from the Bible's warnings about excess in any form:

• Amos describes how false trust leads to a preoccupation with satisfying oneself and losing sight of what's really important (Amos 6:1-6).

• Isaiah talks about a habit of excess (in his case drinking wine) becoming an end in itself, stealing ambition and drive (Isaiah 56:12).

• Isaiah also describes how drunkenness can make leaders ineffective by blurring vision and stumbling their judgment (Isaiah 28:7).

• Proverbs describes how drunken son brings shame on parents (Proverbs 28:7). 

• Jesus scolds the scribes and Pharisees for their obsession with living outwardly flawless lives while they neglect their inner thoughts and attitudes (Matthew 23:25).

• He also warns against being "weighed down" with drunkenness (and the cares of life) and so being unprepared for His second coming (Luke 21:34).

• The end of a life ruled by obsession is tragic. Further down in Proverbs 23, the writer lists the consequences of pursuing alcohol (which fit well with other addictions too) in a series of rhetorical questions: "Who has woe … sorrow … contentions … complaints … wounds without cause … redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine. Those who go in search of mixed wine" - Proverbs 23:29,30.

• In His story of the prodigal son, Jesus depicts how a life driven by appetite is vulnerable (Luke 15:11-14).

• Finally, Paul warns that some practices (drunkenness and revelry among them) will disqualify people from the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).

It's a sobering picture. I myself have experienced how the virtual world of Facebook, Twitter, email, blog comments etc. can hijack my attention, demand increasingly more of it, as it takes my focus away from what's really important.

How much better to be obsessed and full of the Holy Spirit, leading to all things life-giving and lasting (Ephesians 5:18)!

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to heed the Bible's warnings about unbalanced living and avoiding things that will enslave me. Amen.

MORE: Wise use of technology

In his book The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion, author Tim Challies talks about the many aspects of technology and how it impacts modern life.  He says:

"Our task then, is not to avoid technology but to carefully evaluate it, redeem it, and ensure that we are using it with the right motives and for the right goals" - Tim Challies, The Next Story, Kindle Location 437.

If you are struggling with technology's hold on you, Challies' book would be a great one to read.

***********

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Rebuked by an old seer

The Prophet Jeremiah by Michelangelo

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 2:14-37

TO CHEW ON: "'Your own wickedness will correct you
And your backsliding will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing
That you have forsaken the Lord your God,
And the fear of Me is not in you,'
Says the Lord God of hosts."  Jeremiah 14:19

Jeremiah was not a popular man. "Partly this was because of the message of doom proclaimed by Jeremiah, a message contrary to the hope of the people…" explains Roy E. Hayden, in my Bible's introduction to Jeremiah (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 956).

As we see in our reading today, Jeremiah used strong language to describe the state of Judah during his time (the reigns of Josiah, Jehoidah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah - 626-586 B.C.). It's easy to see why his message was unpopular. How would you like to hear yourself:

• described as a slave (Jeremiah 2:14) and told that you are responsible for this enslavement (Jeremiah 2:17)?

• compared to a prostitute (Jeremiah 2:20)?

• called a "degenerate plant of an alien vine" (Jeremiah 2:21)?

• described as permanently stained by sin (Jeremiah 2:22)?

• likened to a wild dromedary or donkey in heat (Jeremiah 2:23-25)?

• depicted as utterly stupid for trusting in rocks and trees instead of God (Jeremiah 2:27-28)?

• compared to children who don't learn from correction (Jeremiah 2:30)?

• likened to an unfaithful bride who preens herself for illicit love while her skirts are stained, for all to see, with the blood of the innocents (Jeremiah 2:32-34)?

But does all this have anything to do with us? Perhaps more than we care to admit. For we too readily forsake Jesus, our first love.

We let ourselves become enslaved, if not to addictive substances, then to things we think we need to live in ease and comfort.

We go after idols, not of wood and stone but wealth, talent, and position.

Instead of finding the solution to our problems in God's word, we look to the world's wisdom and keep repeating the same mistakes.

Meanwhile, we turn a blind eye to injustices happening right under our noses.

I am not scolding you, dear reader, but myself.

The solution: "God calls for obedience to His commands in a pure covenantal relationship. Sin requires repentance and restoration; obedience leads to blessing and joy" - Roy E. Hayden, Introduction to Jeremiah, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 958.

Or we will suffer the consequences, as our wickedness corrects us and our blacksliding rebukes us.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to deal with my own tendencies toward idolatry, compromise, and backsliding. Amen.

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Modern slaves

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Amos 2:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "Thus says the Lord:

'For three transgressions of Israel and for four,

I will not turn away its punishment,

Because they sell the righteous for silver,

And the poor for a pair of sandals,

They pant (trample on) the dust of the earth

Which is on the head of the poor

And pervert the way of the humble.'" Amos 2:6-7

Last night my husband and I went to a fundraiser for International Justice Mission. Four 12-14-year-old girls organized this concert and dessert night. Interspersed with songs by Carolyn Arends, yummy chocolate fondue and more music by She Says Electric, they brought us face to face with the plight of modern slaves.

For, as our young emcee reminded us, though the last country to make slavery illegal did so in 1981 (Mauritania), there are more slaves on the planet now than at any other time.

They told us stories of young girls in poverty-ravaged cultures who are promised good paying jobs, then sold to brothel keepers in countries like India, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Guatemala.

In 2008 a Nike factory in Malaysia was exposed for human rights violations that were virtual slavery. Young people applying for work at the factory were charged a fee to come to work. When they couldn't pay, they were advanced the fee on credit so started work owing money. On arrival their passports were taken away. They lived on-site in crowded squalid conditions, working long hours six days a week and earning so little, they would never be able to pay back the debt they incurred to get the job. (Nike promised to look into the situation, so conditions may have changed by now.)

Companies selling fair trade products like chocolate and coffee have sprung up all over the place. They assure us that the coffee and chocolate they sell doesn't have any human rights-compromising behaviour in its picking or production history.

The Bible speaks of slavery in negative terms. Though slavery was an accepted part of Old Testament culture, six years was the length of time a Hebrew slave could be kept; to be freed in the seventh year. Kidnapping a free man with the intent to sell him was punishable by death. Slaves had rights to physical well-being. Injuring a slave, to the extent of merely knocking out a tooth was grounds for the person to go free. In our reading in Amos, Israel's slave-making behavior was grounds for God's punishment.

Uncomfortable revelations like we heard and saw last night about modern slavery make me feel squirmy. They demand more than just a tsk, tsk. How can I (and you) make a difference to those trapped in it?
- We can pray
- We can support organizations who work to free slaves.
- We can change our buying habits.

PRAYER: Dear God, I am touched by the plight of modern slaves. Help me to remember to pray for them. Please show me other actions I can take. Amen.

MORE: Organizations to check out and support

Shadow of His Wings is an organization that rehabilitates girls and young women who have been rescued from forced labor, abuse and neglect on the streets of Guatemala City.

The Dalit Network works to liberate the Dalit people of India from slave labor. I first became aware of them at Missions Fest in 2009 (and blogged about them here).

International Justice Mission works for justice around the world. It also has a Canadian arm.

Stories:
- Brick Kiln Rescue

- South Asia Quarry Raid

- Namwaan's Story

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.