day 11: bought and paid for

"do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? you are not your own; you were bought at a price. therefore honor God with your body."

1 corinthians 6:19-20

you may or may not be a fan of adam young or his band owl city. i have actually seen them perform twice and admit that i enjoy a lot of the music. there is one song though that i absolutely love, 'meteor shower.' it is my understanding that adam young is a christian and to me this song reflects biblical themes. it even reminds me of the heidelberg catechism, question and answer 1 ("i am not my own but belong body and soul to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ"). the words of the song...

i can finally see

that you're right there beside me

i am not my own

for i have been made new

please don't let me go

i desperately need you

i am not my own

for i have been made new

please don't let me go

i desperately need you

paul talks about slavery in his letter to the romans, but it is just as relevant today as it was in the first century. "don't you know that...you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness." (romans 6:16) we are all slaves to something, or maybe somethings. if it isn't obedience to Jesus Christ, it will destroy us. as david nasser points out, sins gnaw at our hearts, cutting us off from the Spirit. "instead of forgiveness, we are crushed by guilt. instead of thankfulness, we are bitter at God and at others who have hurt us. instead of sensing God's presence, we feel alone and empty." spiritual death, i can relate to that. even in this 11 day journey so far, i can feel satan using these very things to tempt me and pull away from Jesus - guilt, bitterness, hurt, loneliness, emptyness. but i will not let these things dictate my life because i am reminded that i am not my own; i have been bought with a price.

the bible reveals two types of slavery. the first is the most commonly thought of concept of slavery in which a person is simply owned by a master and must obey what the master commands. but there is a second type of "slavery" that gives choice. doulos is a greek word for "bondservant." an indentured servant is a slave until his debt is paid off. on the day they are set free, the slave has the choice to remain as a bondslave. if the master has been loving to them, they choose to remain. if they choose to continue to enjoy the master's love and kindness, their ear was pierced with a tool as a sign to all that being loved was more important than being free.

Jesus paid our debt and now that we are free we have the same choice. God has been a kind and loving master, hasn't He?

Lord, i am not my own. you paid for me through the death of Jesus Christ. i am yours and want you to do with me what you want, my kind and loving master.