by For my faithful readers – this is about twice the length of my normal post, but I believe you will find it thought provoking. So, take a breath, sit back, and I pray you enjoy.
The auctioneer looked around the room. He held out his hand for the next soul for sale. The soul, of her own free will, stepped up and took the auctioneer’s hand. The soul stood there looking at the ones soon to bid on her life.
The auctioneer held up the soul’s hand. “Who will start the bid?”
From dark in the corner, an evil looking bidder cried out. “I do. I will pay short-term seasonal, earthly promises.”
The soul cringed as she looked into the eyes of the evil bidder. She took a step back but still held the auctioneer’s hand.
The auctioneer cried out. “I have a bid for seasonal promises. Does anyone wish to bid for longer lasting promises? Going. Going.”
The evil one laughed a deep and spine chilling laugh. He grinned as he sat in the dark corner. Looking towards his friend on the right, he whispered. “We got another.”
While standing on the platform, inside the soul shrank in horror. She pondered. “Seasonal promises of fame and fortune sound good but there is something about the bidder that makes me sick. I can’t live with him no matter what the promises are.”
While still holding the auctioneer’s hand, the soul dropped to her knees and bowed her head. From deep inside her heart, she cried out. “Dear God save this wretched soul of mine from the evil one. I know I’ve lived a sinful life. Please have mercy upon my soul and save me from being sold to this evil master in the corner. Please dear God save my soul.”
The soul opened her eyes and looked around the room.
From back in the distance, a gentler voice came. “The soul’s prayer has been heard. I offer a bid of eternal life with a glorified body. I can’t guarantee life on earth will be easy, but all eternity will be a true treasure.”
The soul sighed in relief and she stood up as she heard the kind voice speak up from the back row.
The auctioneer held the soul’s hand up. “I have another bid. It’s for eternal life with a glorified body. Can anyone outbid? Going…Going…
With a wickedness oozing from his being, the evil one whispered to his friend. “Rats. We lost this soul. She must have prayed while kneeling on that platform. We’ll get the next one. I talked with the next soul prior to the auction, he thinks he can party with his friends in hell. His soul is mine.” He let out another soul piercing, wicked laughter.
“Going…Going…Sold to the kind looking Master on the back row.” The auctioneer’s gavel came down hard upon the podium top. “Sir, how do you wish to pay for the soul?”
The kind Master looked at the auctioneer and replied, “With my spotless, sinless blood shed at Calvary.”
“Good enough for me.” Replied the auctioneer.
The auctioneer handed the soul’s hand to the worker. “Please take this soul to the kind bidder on the back row.”
“Yes sir.”
Off went the soul to live for her Master who bought her off the auction block with his precious, spotless blood. She would now be his slave. Deep in her heart she pondered. “This Master seems kind and good. He saved me from the dark evil one in the back corner. Being his slave will be a nice way to live. I surely wish to do all he wants me to do in exchange for saving me from the vile, wretched being in the dark corner. I will gladly serve my Master with all the strength and days that I have left on this earth.”
The worker put the soul’s hand into the Master’s hand. Off she went to live for her Master.
1 Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by the tradition from your fathers: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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Ever hit rock bottom? Not want to get out of bed and face the day? We all have had those days. However, deep within ourselves, we’ve still thought, “Okay, I’ve got to get up. The Lord will help me face whatever comes my way. I’m losing precious time lying in bed. I can’t continue in this poor-me state.”
In my 55 years of life, I’ve had my share of mornings like this. But there has always been something deep within me to get me going. Recently though, I woke up and the deep desire within me that was getting me up – was gone. I laid there and pondered things. “Where is that deep desire to get up? It’s gone. What do I do now? That is what has gotten me up and kept me going. Now what?”
I laid there and with nothing else to dwell on, my attentions turned to prayer. I couldn’t even sit up. I just lay there, flat on my back, buried in blankets. So, I looked up. “Now what Lord? I literally feel no desire to get out of bed.”
I continued to lay there and deeply pondered things. “Nope. No desire. It’s gone. But I have so much to do. The desire to get up was totally gone. What was I living for? What purpose was there for my life?”
Now don’t get upset at me. I’m sure if most reading this would admit to themselves, we’ve all asked that at some point in time in our life.
Most who know me, know I and my husband are recently empty nesters. This has been hard on me and that puts it mildly. If empty nesters were the only issue, I think I could have gotten up. But it wasn’t. So many issues in life had been compounding and weighing me down.
Yes, I know we are supposed to lay our burdens at the Lord’s feet – which I do daily. But I’m human and a female and we females worry more than men. We are just made that way for some reason. Maybe it is so we will be more dependent on our Lord to carry our burdens. Whereas men think they can carry the load themselves.
So, in a sense if we realize we are more dependent on our Lord, that is a good thing.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
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Now, back to my situation of literally having no desire to get up.
A woman’s brain thinks all the time. After 32 years of marriage, I’ve yet to get this concept across to my husband. He just doesn’t get the concept that I never stop thinking and dwelling on things.
Sometimes I hate the fact that I can’t stop thinking; but if you are a woman reading this, you know this is true. Men have the ability to turn off their brains – or so it seems. But we can’t. We think, and think, and think. We think about good and bad things. We think about past and future things. We constantly dwell on things. “Urgh!” It must be part of the curse on women.
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Now, where am I going with this?
A while ago a dear friend mentioned to me that we are slaves for Christ. So, having the normal female mind, I never stopped pondering this thought.
At first, I thought, “We are servants, not slaves.” This was my conclusion for many months, and I went on about my life.
Now, back to my original problem. I was lying in bed and literally unable to get up. I saw no hope for the future, so I began praying. I knew I needed to be up and going but how?
While praying, God brought back my friend’s comment that we are slaves for Christ. Then God flooded my brain with heaps of Bible verses and thoughts. The first was we are “bought with a price” and then “the precious blood of Christ.”
I lay there and gained encouragement from my Lord in a great way. I realized, “Yes, we are slaves. My friend was correct.”
What I think has happened over the years is that the term “slave” has gotten such a negative connotation through bad events in history. So, the term “slave” doesn’t settle well with most people anymore. However, we are slaves to Christ. He has redeemed us with his precious blood, and we will have eternal life in our glorified bodies someday.
But how does that help now? If I focus on the fact that I am a slave to Christ and get the focus off of the poor-me syndrome then I do have something to get out of bed for. I have to fulfill my Master’s commands. We are in this world to see souls saved and not for our gain.
John 17:15,18, 20 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word:”
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A few things to ponder from this thought:
- We need to think about this ‘slave’ concept. If we think about ourselves as slaves, we will come not to expect anything for us. We will live only to fulfill our Master’s wishes and do what we can to further the gospel around the world. Being a slave isn’t a bad thing like society has us believe.
- If we keep in mind that we are slaves, then we won’t expect to have our dreams fulfilled but to fulfill our Master’s desires. We also won’t complain when trials and tribulations come. We will know they are put there by the Master for the furtherance of the gospel.
- Our Master will take care of us. He will protect us.
- If our Master does allow good in our lives, we need to see it as a secondary issue and not the primary reason for our existence. Our primary reason for our existence is to serve our Master and see souls saved. By getting the focus off of me and putting it on the Master has helped me to look around and ‘see’ the many blessings I was over-looking when I focused on the poor-me syndrome and not on the plan of the Master.
- When we think of ourselves as servants instead of slaves, we tend to think we should get something in return for our service. For example, if we are servants to Walmart, we get a paycheck. Servants think they deserve something in return for their service.
We need to change our thoughts from thinking we are servants and expecting something from our Lord. We need to realize we are bought with his precious blood; we are slaves and we don’t deserve anything from our Lord. We already have eternal life in heaven and salvation from eternal torment in hell. That should be enough. We need to get past the thought that we deserve anything from our Master.
Here are a few verses on the servant/Master relationship.
Ephesians 6:5-6 “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”
Colossians 3:22 “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:”
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In Summary:
The word ‘slave’ shouldn’t be a bad word as many would have us believe. I believe it should be used to draw us closer to our Master. We really need to get back to the basics and realize we deserve nothing. As sinners we deserve life in eternal torments in hell. However, when we prayed for his rescue, our Master reached in and pulled us from our impending doom.
We need to get our focus off of us and thinking we deserve anything. We need to realize we are left here on earth, after our salvation, to help see others saved.
Most of us won’t see heaps saved. We may only see one soul saved in our lifetime. But we have to realize – it is worth it. Imagine a scene in heaven where that one soul comes up and hugs you like no hug you’ve ever had before and thanks you for reaching out and giving them the gospel so they could have eternity in heaven. I think you’d have a life-long friend. Pardon the pun on life-long.
It’s easy for Christians with power, big ministries and fame and fortune in the Christian realm to tell others to live for Christ instead of self. We’ve all heard it hundreds of times. However, I’m telling from the point of view of someone who has given all, to see just a handful of people saved. I nor my husband will never have fame in this present world. We’ve literally gave up all, country, family, friends, fame, riches, etc. But that is okay. My earthly life is almost over.
So, as I lay in the bed and couldn’t get up because of the poor-me syndrome, God put my focus back on him and back on the basics – we are slaves for him. It’s not a dirty word but a most precious word indeed to say I am a slave for Christ. I am left here to fulfill his Word of spreading the gospel. If it is the only thing I do in my life, then I am 100% fulfilling my Master’s command.
Of course, all the things we do: how we dress, talk, and act, etc. are in direct obedience to fulfilling the command to see souls saved. Thankfully we have a whole Bible on how to behave in our lives so we can fulfill the one command to go ye into all the world…
Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Praise the Lord we are slaves for Christ!
*Free clipart from: https://www.freebibleimages.org/
