Mark of Distinction

Recently I was listening to Jentezen Franklin on television. He's the only TV pastor I listen to. I got to meet him once at a youth revival service he did at a local church. He was recounting a story from the Old Testament times and as he was relating the story, he shared how the mark of distinction between a slave and a freed person was by a beard. A slave was kept clean shaven according to Franklin.

So in Old Testament times I would have been considered a free man. Interesting.

What distinguishes us as free from sin?

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:9-10

Through Christ we are free from sin, free of hopelessness, free of being unloved.

I don't know about you dear reader but I myself often cling to these, forgetting I can leave the shackles off.

I've struggled this summer and past year with some personal stuff, with attitudes and mindsets. I'm asking God for open eyes to see through these shackles, to see that Christ did indeed unlock them, that I can leave them behind.

Because I am free to love and be loved.

Below is a link to a song that has been a huge encouragement to me. First heard it down in PCB. Props to Lauren for tracking it down for me.

"Hold Nothing Back"

Slaves to sin...but slaves to righteousness?

In our 2:42 we've been going through the book of romans, studying God's plan of reconcilation from the law of the Old Testament to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

Romans 6:15-18:
"What they? Shall we sin becuase we are not under the law but under grace? By no means (aka Hell No!) Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obediance which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin, and have become slaves from righteousness"

Many of us are aware that we were once slaves to sin. Unable to break its hold on us. Sin kept us separated from God, unable to come into His presence, to hear and know His voice, to see His glory, to know His mind and heart.

We know that Christ made us free from all that. Free from the bondage of sin so that its hold on us is broken. Now we can overcome sin and triump by the blood that was slain.

But instead of being slaves to sin, we are now slaves to God.

Slavery again? That can't be we say. We right back where we started, bound to something.

Think about it though. As one guy in our 2:42 group said, we are slaves to our bodies. We have to eat, breathe, drink water, and other functions of our body. Try going without them and see how long you live.

I am indeed a slave to Christ, because He bought me at the price of His life. And though I be bound to Him for life...

"I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know His master's business, instead I have called you friends" John 15:15

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry Abba, Father (Daddy)". Romans 8:15

Who knew slavery could be so good!