Adina

Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / The Lord's Prayer

The time is early in the 1800s. And the unthinkable has happened. You’re a slave. You still remember the day . . . years ago . . . when you stood half-naked on the auction block. Think back. You were humiliated. Men watching your every move. Eyeing you closely."Is she strong enough?" one asks."We could fatten her up a bit," another answers."In less than a year, I’d have her plowing," the first one says. "Yep. Tie her up to my yoke, attach a harness and plow to her, and I’d have 40 more acres of corn."A human plow?You can’t believe these heathens don’t see your humanity. The same guy lets out an eerie sneer. "That’s not all I’d use her for." The others laugh in a half-drunken stupor.Then, from the crowd of sweaty, cursing men, pushes a man who’s smiling. It’s not the greasy, chipped-tooth smile the others sport. There’s something different about him. You catch his gaze. He never looks at your beaten body; he simply looks into your eyes . . . and he smiles.Someone starts the bidding at $5. You can’t bear to look. You’re too humiliated. If only I could escape, you think. Oh, for a warm bath and clothes to cover my nakedness.Another ups the price. You’re worth $7.50 now. Then $10. Your head is still hung in shame. The bidding has come down to two voices. You recognize the one belonging to the man who will turn you into a human plow. The other voice? You can’t place it, but you don’t dare raise your head.The human plow guy is nervous. You can tell by the sound of his voice. Is he afraid he’s going to lose?you wonder. "I’ll give $52," he screams. The other voice counters the offer. Plow Man is angry. He’s not used to being outbid. The numbers continue to increase. "I’ll pay $71," he screams in desperation. The other voice, calmly increases his counteroffer.Plow Man just might lose, you think. And you find yourself desperately hoping you won’t have to make your home in his barn. You know if the plow guy gets you, you’ll also be having his children. You’ll carry the scars of his whip. You’ll never feel hope again."I don’t know who you are, Mister," Plow Man snarls. "But if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now!"The other voice — ready to end the battle — matter-of-factly states, "I will never leave. I’m here to see this thing through. I’ll pay any price. She’s mine. I have chosen her."You timidly glance up to see Plow Man rushing the other bidder. He violently throws him in the dust and raises a knife to the stranger’s throat.Plow Man’s a maniac! Oh, God, protect me! you desperately pray. The stranger — you can’t figure it out, because you never saw him move — is suddenly on top of Plow Man holding the knife to his throat. You can’t see the stranger’s face, but the plow guy is sweating so much on the dusty road, the dirt is turning to mud on his face. The stranger stabs the ground. Then he stands and says, "Get this through your head. She’s mine. There is no price too high for me to pay."Plow Man raises himself to his feet and pulls his knife from the ground. "You can have her," he hisses, "but this isn’t over. When you least expect it, I’ll take her from you!" He spits at the stranger’s feet and leaves.The stranger turns around. You gasp. It’s the guy with the gentle eyes and the warm smile. He pulls out a wad of bills — empties his wallet — and unchains your feet and hands. "Here," he says, "wrap yourself in this."Flannel. Your favorite. Ahhh . . . it feels so soft against my filthy body.He doesn’t put you in the back of his wagon. He has a place all ready for you up front — with him. On your way out of town, he stops at a tailor’s. "Only the best," he says. "Make her fine clothing out of your best material. Spare no expense."Days turn into weeks. And you can’t believe your good fortune. You’re a slave, but you’re being treated like a queen. Your master has given you a king-sized bed in your own big room. He cares and provides for you more than you imagined. You’re so grateful, you find yourself wanting to serve him. "What can I do for you, Master?" you ask. "Can I clean the barn? Can I plant seed?"He smiles and takes you by the hand. "I’ll show you how," he says. While you’re working alongside your master, you try to concentrate on your good fortune of meeting such a wonderful friend, but you’re haunted by the words of Plow Man: "This isn’t over! When you least expect it, I’ll take her from you!"A month later, your master calls you into his office. "You’ve done a fine job here," he says — and his eyes glisten with pride for you. "But I bought you. You had no choice in the matter. I paid for you, and I brought you here as my own. I love you so much that I will not keep you against your will. You’re free to go.""But . . . I . . . " You’re in shock. "I don’t want to go, Master. I love you. I want to serve you.""You’re choosing to remain even though I’ve granted your freedom?""Yes, Master. I love you so much, I choose to be your slave forever.""Are you sure?""Yes. There’s only one thing that frightens me.""What’s that?" he asks."Plow Man’s threat to take me from you. If he kidnaps me, he’ll attach his plow to my body. And no one will believe I really belong to you.""Hmmm." The master was deep in thought. Then his eyes fasten onto yours, announcing a solution. "I will give you my mark," he declares, "so everyone will know you belong to me."* * *(I have to interrupt the story here. If I don’t, you’re gonna think, Yikes! He’s gonna sear her flesh with a branding iron! Relax. That’s not gonna happen. As the author, I’m in control of how the story continues, and I promise there’s a really cool ending. But guess what — I’m not going to end the story. You are. That’s right. YOU are in control of how this story ends. Let’s get back to the present so you’ll know what I’m talking about.)Bond Slave Bond Slave Remember the Apostle Paul? When he wrote a letter to the folks in Rome, this is how he began: "This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ’s slave, chosen to be a missionary, and sent out to teach God’s Good News" (The Living Bible). Paul willingly devoted himself to being Jesus Christ’s slave. He knew what Jesus had saved him from, and he was so in love with Christ, he voluntarily chose to remain bonded to Him.Back in the days of slavery, every now and then a master would grant a slave his freedom. And, though it was rare, sometimes a slave loved his master so much, he would decide to remain — bonded to him forever.What About You? Okay, you’ve never had to stand on an auction block. But Jesus Christ has paid a great price for you! He wants to snatch you away from Plow Man! He desires to save you from cutting yourself, wasting your body away through an eating disorder, false acceptance through a sexual relationships — and all the other traps Plow Man tosses your way.It’s as if Jesus opens wide the windows of heaven, parts the clouds, splits the sky right in half and announces to all creation, "I CHOOSE HER!" (Insert your own name here for greater effect.)"I want YOU on My team."Whew! No more standing by the fence hoping you’ll be selected. No more wishing that someone would want you. He chooses you! In fact, He selected you years ago. He knew Plow Man would engage in a bitter bid of wills offering all kinds of things for you — sex, attention, popularity. So Jesus said, "I’ll just go ahead and pay the highest price anyone could ever pay. I’ll give My life." And He did. He paid for you with His blood.If this is sounding too good to be true, here’s the proof. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8.Sounds Good . . . But What’s the Bottom Line? I like being chosen, you may be thinking. It feels great to be selected — to realize that God loves me so much, He looked inside my mom’s womb even before I was formed and said, "I want her!" Wow. But really . . . what are we talking about here?We’re talking about you being so in love with Jesus Christ that you become enslaved to Him. In other words, as a slave would belong to his owner for a lifetime, you want to belong to Jesus for a lifetime and an eternity.Yeah, I DO love Jesus, you’re thinking. And I DO want to serve Him forever. But how do I become His bond slave?1. Realize you’ve been bought. Remember, He paid for you with His life. You are incredibly valuable to Him.2. Realize you’ve been branded. Ranchers brand their cattle. Loggers carve a symbol on their trees. Dignitaries seal important papers with their insignia on melted wax. All these are marks of ownership.Jesus Christ also has a mark of ownership. It’s His Holy Spirit. "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13).Having God’s brand — the Holy Spirit ruling your life, energizing you, saturating you, filling you — should be as evident as a brand is on a cow. The Holy Spirit wants to make such a difference in your life that people around you know you’re owned, operated and energized by a supernatural power!Imagine . . . you walk into a room and people immediately think, Whoa! She’s not her own. She’s plugged into something way more powerful than I’ve ever been connected with!In other words, shouldn’t your lifestyle and the reflection of the Holy Spirit within you shine brighter and shout louder than a scar that’s been seared into your skin?Yeah! you may be thinking. How can the Holy Spirit make that kind of difference in my life? Total surrender. But we’ll chat more about that in a minute.Having His brand means we take on His name. We become like Him. For proof . . . Ephesians 5:1: "Be imitators of God." What’s that mean? It means you begin to act like Jesus! You try to please Him in all you do. You take on His resemblance.You may have heard your folks say, "Don’t embarrass the family! You’re wearing our name." People may have told you, "You look like your mom." Guess what — as a Christian, you should be looking more and more like Christ, and as a Christian you’re bearing His name.3. Realize you’re bonded to Christ forever. I choose to be chained to Him. Not simply attached to, but a part of! I willingly take on His name and His lifestyle. There’s a difference in being attached and being a part of! Being bonded to Christ forever is saying, "I’ll put everything I have into bonding ever closer to Him."This is an ongoing process. To become a bond slave of Jesus Christ, this needs to be your highest priority. This is your job right now: To become as close to Jesus Christ as you can. To become so tightly bonded to Him that the world just can’t comprehend it.Your job really isn’t to worry about how much money you can earn or how you can push your way into the most popular clique or look better than anyone else at your school. Repeat: Your job right now is to become as close to Jesus Christ as you can. To become so tightly bonded to Him that the world just can’t comprehend it!Do You Agree? If you truly want to become all God calls you to be, then this commitment to become His bond slave will affect everything in your life. From this point on, you’ll have a new standard. You’ll use a brand-new measuring stick for everything in your life.From now on, you’ll measure all you do according to the seal, the brand, the mark of Jesus Christ — His Holy Spirit.For example, imagine we actually burned the name of Jesus Christ and all He stands for (His character, His will, His plan for your life) on your forehead. That would become the measuring stick for your life."Will you go to this R-rated movie with me?"Hmmm. Does it match the brand on my forehead?"Will you go to this party?"Does it reflect His brand?"Come on! Show me how much you love me. We won’t go all the way; let’s just mess around. Everyone else is."Will my behavior echo the brand I’m wearing on my forehead?Okay. You don’t really have a scar on your forehead. That’s not where the brand, the mark, the seal of Jesus Christ is anyway. That was only an example. His seal, His mark, His Holy Spirit is branded on your heart. And inside your mind. It becomes your lifestyle.My language. The magazines I read. What I do on the Internet. Does it reflect the Holy Spirit in my life? No? Then, sorry. That stuff's not for me. See, I have a new standard now for which I’m measuring my life!4. Realize you’ve been bought. (Yeah, I know this is a repeat of number one, but it’s so important, we gotta talk about it again.) To truly realize this is to say: "I don’t own my life any more. I willingly accept His purchase. He’s the Master. I’m merely the slave. But I love Him so much, I’m saying YES to being branded and bonded to Him forever."Guess what! You’re not really saying yes to living in chains. You’re saying YES to Kingdom living! You’re saying YES to being the princess of the King! So act like it. Live out your title.Hey, you don’t have to be owned by Him. He won’t force you. But to be a part of His forever kingdom requires much more than settling for casual Christianity. We’re talking about radical obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.You have a choice: You can be owned by Him (as in total surrender), or you can maintain control of your own life.Here’s the deal: He created the world. Why wouldn’t you want to be owned by Him? No one else can navigate you through this confusing, polluted, sin-filled world like He can. No one else can guide you away from Plow Man and all he’s trying to ensnare you with.Okay. What were those choices again?(1) No claim to your life — He navigates you through His world.(2) Cling to your own life — uphill battle forever.I Choose To Be His Bond Slave! One more thing. If you become His bond slave — committed to Jesus Christ forever, wearing His mark, living through the power of the Holy Spirit — you can’t be selective with His will. In other words, when the Master says, "Mow the lawn and do the laundry." You don’t respond with, "I’ll mow the lawn, but hey, I don’t do laundry." Your life is not your own, remember?"I have been crucified with Christ and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).Who Would Make Such a Commitment? Out of the 200,000 readers who are eyeing this article right now, I have absolutely no idea who would commit to such a pledge. I don’t have a clue who would make the decision to become a bond slave to Jesus, not only in this lifetime but throughout eternity. I do, however, know what they’re called. They are known as radically obedient disciples.If you’d like to become a bond slave of the Messiah, I’d love to help you do it. If we were together in person, I’d wrap my arms around you and pray with you. But I don’t really need to be there. You can pray on your own.Dear Jesus:Wow. I never thought about loving You so much that I’d consider myself a slave to You. But it makes sense. You have saved me from so much! And You’ve bought me with such a tremendous price! I do love You, Lord. And I want Your mark. I want to be branded with the seal of Your Holy Spirit.I realize this is more than a simple prayer; it’s a commitment to radical obedience. So right now I ask You to forgive my sins and help me live for You. I surrender my will. I give up the right to own my life. I lovingly yield to Your plan, Your way and Your will for me.Lord, release the power of your Holy Spirit within me and sanctify me. Help me become one with You. Break me and reshape me in Your image. I want to be bonded, marked, sealed forever with Your image. I want the world to see Your Holy Spirit’s mark on my life.I now submit to Your authority, Jesus. Thank You for forgiving my sins and cleansing me. Help me to draw ever closer to You through the Bible, through a strong prayer life and through daily fellowship with You.I love You, Jesus. Thank You for being my Master and for saving me from all the sin that Satan desires to use to destroy me.In Your powerful name I pray,Amen.