The Happy Slave

“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

~ Exodus 21:2-6 ~

 

You know, as I reflect back on my past life before I came to know the Lord, I must say though I was (and still am) blessed with a loving family, the inner turmoil I faced on a daily basis ate me alive. I was hurting person who fought an inner daily battle with his demons about almost everything. I was lonely and hated the feeling, I was vengeful and hated the vengeful feelings, when I failed at things I thought I was inept and on and on it went. People would make me mad, life would constantly grind at me and I wondered when this ride would end. Would it be death or would death not bring relief? You know, now that I look back on those times not that long ago, I know I was not unlike everyone else. Deep down, way down in the inner feelings of our hearts and minds where we seldom if ever let people peer, we are all like that. Worry and stress are the biggest killers in society today. We are slaves to the demons of hatred, stress, lust and worry that torture us daily.

The bible knows all about this human trait and speaks of it in Romans 7: 14-25:

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I came to understand friends, that we in the human race were born into the slavery that arises out of our natural sinful state. It is the normal state of being for the human race.

But we have a redeemer! And that person’s name is Jesus! The Lord God himself came to earth and took on the form of a human as Jesus the Christ and died on a cross to pay the price and redeem us from our torturers.  To set us FREE not only for eternity but even this life on earth!! In the opening scripture we read that the ancient Israelites had a practice given by God. After seven years a slave/servant must be set free. But if the slave decides that they love the master they serve, they can say so and as a sign, the master will pierce the ear of the slave and the slave will be bonded to the master for life.

I am happy to say, friends, that this is the story of yours truly. Jesus has set me free from my war within and has given me a new life. No longer do I battle the demons that once tormented me. I used to hear the scripture “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-8) and wondered what it was about; now I know.

I have cried out to the Lord to take me as His own and in His mercy He has heard my cry and has pierced my ear. He has changed me into a new creation. It is no longer Michael who lives but Christ that lives within me Galatians 2:19-21. He has set me free and the bible tells us that whomever the Son of God sets free will be free indeed!  John 8:35-37

Do I fuss or fret any more? Very seldom. The storm of my soul has abated to a beautiful breeze on a lazy pond.  I am a happy slave to His peace and righteousness. Every day the Spirit of God reveals to me that I am in His hands and I have NOTHING to worry about.

Praise God! He is the God of my life and the master of my soul!

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