Remembering Those Fighting for Christian Liberty in China

Sometimes I hear people say, "I know that Christians used to have a lot of persecution in China, but all that is over now."  Tell that to the men and women featured in the following story.   Persecution of Christian leaders is a problem right now in China!   The only reason these individuals' stories are being told is that they have loved ones who have made it to the US to tell their stories.  Getting out of China isn't easy.  So, imagine how many others are suffering extreme persecution across China because they are brave enough to stand up for what they believe?

Who are the real Daniels of the Year?
@WORLD Magazine... Remembering those in the Den...

Add these families to your prayers!

Add to your reading list:  Brother Yun's  Heavenly Man.

Another very common misconception is that China no longer has many children available to adopt.  This is a major fallacy.  There are Chinese girls and Chinese boys of all ages eligible for adoption right now - literally thousands!  While the wait to adopt healthy, young babies has dramatically increased (mostly because Chinese citizens may now adopt), the time frame for adopting children who have an identified medical need is short.  Those with an identified need and those who are waiting because they are older can be adopted with one of shortest international adoption time frames -  10-18 months.  Many of these needs are ones that are readily medically handled in the USA or needs that most people would readily accept in their birth children without blinking an eye.  An adopted boy from China whom we know is missing one arm, but he is one of the brightest, most adorable young man I've ever met, and his family feels enormously blessed!

If you are considering adoption, consider China!   And be blessed!!!

For Dad's

When people meet my husband and learn that he is the dad of five daughters, ages 10 to 18, their eyes widen.  "How do you do it?!" they exclaim.

He shrugs and smiles.  "They're great girls and we have a lot of fun.  But there's a lot of drama."  He sometimes elaborates about all the other things there are lots of, too, much to his daughters' chagrin.

Despite the drama, he loves being Daddy to our five.  But how do dads manage to bring up girls in such a way that they bring more joy than worry?   How do dads raise daughters who are ready to follow their Heavenly Father in whatever he calls them to do?

Dr. Dobson has some basic advice in the above linked video.   The three T's.  Talk, Touch, and Time.

Dr. Dobson - Dad's Relating to Their Daughters, short video

I hope this spurs some dads forward in understanding how to relate to their girls.  I would add a few more, which may appear in the remainder of Dr. Dobson's book, Bringing up Girls, which I hope to read some day before mine are completely raised....

More T's ....  in honor of the dad who is raising my girls and the dad who raised me.  These are ordered randomly.....

Tickle --  Most girls like to be tickled.  The trick is to make sure you gear the level of tickling to the individual tolerance and delight of each child.  For the rough and tumble ones, include tackle with the tickle.

Tease --  Include lighthearted and good-natured teasing in your relationship with your daughter from an early age.  Make sure that this teasing is not about her or about boys, though.   The teasing can be super simple -- just sneak her fork when she's not looking and then put it back while she's up getting a new one from the drawer.  Make sure you are BOTH having fun.

Train -- find something she wants (or needs) to learn how to do and work with her on it.  Build together, garden together, learn a sport together, or even change the oil together.  If you know how to play guitar, teach them to play, too.

Try something new --  if you are stuck, try something completely different.  And keep trying new fun things until something clicks.  With five girls it is rare that the same thing works with all of them.   Things that have worked with our girls have ranged from Tickle Spider to "get-by" where girls have to crawl from one end of the room to the other without getting tackled by Daddy.  The more difficult the child, the more important it is to get creative and spend time in playful interaction!

Tell stories --  make up funny stories with big adventure.  Don't worry about how great they are, but include cliffhangers when possible to keep the stories going.

Take them on dates.  Or just take them with you when you go places.

Tell them about boys.  (You may want to run ideas past your wife first on this one.)

Tell them they are beautiful.  They can't hear it enough!!

Track with them.  Girls emotions get more complicated as they mature.  Be super sensitive and track with them.  If they are in tears, it is time to hug not lecture.

Tolerate their quirkiness ... and try to learn to appreciate it.

Tell them they are smart and wonderful.  Tell them you love them to the sun and back.  Tell them they are making good choices.  Tell them they are so important to you.  Tell them how proud you are of them.  Tell them over and over what they mean to you.  And try to make all of this telling a priority over telling them to do their chores and their homework.

Track them down --  sometimes they just need to be pursued.  If you've had a fight, don't let them cry alone in their rooms.   Go to them and find out what's wrong, and if you are to blame, apologize.  This is probably the most difficult part -- pursuing them and taking the time to make things right, but it is one huge thing that will keep your relationship strong between 13 and 18.

Ok, I didn't know there were so many T's.    Hope this helps someone reading!

Stuck

I’ve got a serious case of the “stucks.”  My brain isn’t moving into anything productive, creative, or redemptive.   Instead a fog has settled upon me, and like a rat moving in circles around its maze, my brain is whirring randomly.

Lord, help me – lift me from this slimy pit.  In this pit there is no joy or hope, no peace, no revelation.  Darkness falls, and all I crave is a pillow and blanket – comforting companions in which to escape.

I listen to those who are praising and I barely hear their words.  Could it have been only five days ago that I soaked up your presence in worship like a sponge?  Am I now saturated with the gunk of this world to the point that there is no more thirst?

I see my stories ready to edit and I can hardly remember why I wrote them.  Help me Lord to wrest myself from this malaise-drenched marsh before I sink into the pond waters of despondency – the "slough of despond."  (Pilgrim's Progress)

Now is all I have, and it is ebbing away. 

Rescue me, my Savior.  I turn my eyes to you!  Now is all I have to give to you – these rags of compromise embarrass me, and I would turn away, to turn and run, to find a place to hide again, except that a rising desperation is just starting to bubble up.   

Oh, what a wretched daughter I am!  Is there hope for me?  Thanks be to God, said Paul, there is still hope, and that hope is Jesus Christ alone!  May my desperation drive me into his arms rather than farther away.   When I run and fall, may it be to run to him and fall at his feet.

Help me, Lord, to run to you and fall at your feet again.  Break me free from the miry malaise that sucks at my feet and keeps me from moving toward you.

As David commanded his own soul, so I tell myself:  Sing and bless the Lord, my soul.  Do not delay. 

Later:

A remedy - sing aloud, even when not feeling it; play outside with kids and dog; re-teach cartwheels; hold a baby; help 12 year old make Australian bread, but don't help too much; listen to teen daughters sing.

I do feel a little better.  Not quite inspired yet.  But hopeful.

Now is all I have, so I won't worry about the wasted minutes that have passed.  I choose to grab hold of  now ... oh, and return that phone call from yesterday first :).

Mary Said Yes

An angel came to Mary and told her the most amazing, scary thing, beyond anything she could imagine.  She would give birth to a child, even though she wasn't married yet.  Not just any child -- God’s child.  And he would be her savior -- everyone’s savior.

I can’t imagine the thoughts that went through Mary’s mind – a dozen reasons to say, “No, you've got the wrong girl.”

But she didn't.  Instead she said, “Yes.  Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Am I like Mary?  In many ways, no, I could never be, and it is unlikely that an angel will appear to me, but ….  What will I say when the Lord calls me to the next seemingly impossible thing?  Is my heart still filled with “Yes?”

Years ago the Lord planted the seeds of “yes” in my heart: hope-filled seeds, bursting with crazy trust -- that God’s ways are higher and infinitely better than mine.

So when the Lord prompted us to adopt from China the first time, we pressed past our own fears and the warnings from people around us, and we said, “Yes.”  And we were blessed with beautiful Li Jiang.

A couple years later when God whispered, “Bring  your children home from school and school them at home,” I thought, “Lord, you must be kidding!”  But we prayed long and hard and pressed past our own fears and doubts and said, “Yes, we trust you, Lord,  that you know better than we do.”

And a couple years after that, when God nudged us in the direction of another adoption from China, how could we say, “No?”  And we were blessed with bright and funny Hui Lan.

But we didn't think then that we’d return to China just three years later to bring home an 8 year old orphan, our amazing Mei Xiang, making us a family of seven – five beautiful daughters, each one unique.

We are fully blessed – though sometimes hard pressed to see beyond the daily challenges, still rejoicing each time we realize the enormity of this call to equip our five lovely ladies for loving and serving their King.

At times the thought has crossed my mind, what if we had said, “No” to these things?

What if Mary had said “no thank you” to the angel’s invitation?  Would God have simply found another  young woman?   Would Mary have regretted her choice?  Did she ever regret saying yes? 

If I had said “no,” my life could possibly be very different.  By saying “no” I could have earned a lot more money, and we could now live in a larger home like the ones we walk by -- vaulted ceilings, 5000 square feet, large bay windows, perfectly landscaped, and inside our furniture would be classy and comfortable, without scratches.  Our cars would be new and shiny.  And our two daughters could have the best of everything and attend the college of their choice. 

 

            If only I’d have said “no,” possibly my writing career would have blossomed and I’d be a sought-after speaker, traveling the country, with my photo in magazines and catalogues.

            But I couldn't say “no.”

            “Yes” became the only logical response to a Father above who holds all the good and perfect gifts – and his good and perfect gifts surround us now.  Five lovely ladies, learning together, living life together, each learning to love and learning to love learning, and learning about …….LIFE.

            I know that I learn almost as much as they do as we explore the world, mostly from the comfort of our own simple home.  We study science, math, and grammar, and we investigate explorers and missionaries who were brave enough to say yes.  We find out how they changed the world and consider how things might have been different if they had said no.

I could have said “no”  In fact, I was inclined to do so.  I could have simply ignored the invitation.  “No.  Adoption is too risky.  And where will we get the money to do it?”  I could have come up with 100 legitimate excuses.  “No.  Homeschooling is too hard.  Plus, I have a career (or two) to pursue.”

            But I said “yes,” not once, but many times.  And that has made all the difference.

Let it be done to me according to your word… Mary said.

Today we have to tell our kids over and over again…  Just say NO.

Say NO to drugs.  Say NO to inappropriate relationships.  Say NO to certain movies, books, and more.

But I think the harder lesson to teach them is …. Just say YES.  Say “YES to all he has for you.  Say “YES” to his call.  Say “YES” when it seems too hard.

For in saying YES … like Mary, like Abraham, like JESUS himself … That is where we receive the good and perfect gifts of life  … the fullness of this life .. the joy set before us!

As we approach another Christmas season, I hope that somehow these words will ring louder than the bells and whistles around us:

 “Yes, Lord!  Let it be done unto ME according to your word!”

Dancing with my Lord

This morning at a women’s retreat called Transforming Love, the Lord treated me to a new perspective on dancing with him.  I was eight years old, standing barefoot on the beach, and Jesus approached, ready to dance.   Being only eight, I didn't know anything about how to dance, but the wonder of being only eight, is that it is so easy to just do it.   My adult mind, however, was a little hesitant to simply enjoy the experience.

Here are the Lord’s words to me during that time:    

“Learn the dance from me by dancing with Me.  It’s a joy to dance with you, child.  Don’t worry about getting the steps right.  Just put your feet on my feet and learn of me.  I am gentle; I am humble enough to meet you right where you are.  You don’t need to feel stressed or inadequate.  This is  fun!  In this dance, together we embody fullness of joy, right here, without thought of other dancers who seem to be further ahead.  Your little feet on mine are so pleasing to me.  Your feet are not too heavy for me; you are in no way a burden.  I am not longing for you to grow up and get over this stage.  Just enjoy me right where you are.”

Remember, with each new dance, don’t try to get it right before you move in that dance with me.  Just put your feet on top of mine, look me straight in the eye, and feel the strength – my gentle, firm embrace – holding you, guiding you.

Why not, Lord?

Today is a difficult day for most of us.    Even as I held my children close this morning, holding back tears as I thought of the days of darkness and storm that seem inevitable... that their futures are so much different than what we know now ... I was encouraged that our hope is in Christ alone, and that God's power extends throughout the universe.  

Perhaps some of this perspective will help...

For those who don't have time to read this all, I am copying and pasting the prayer from the bottom here:

Lord, calm my heart right now, and help me to realize that dependence on You, and great awareness of my dependence on You, is a better place to be – the best place to be - better than the comfort of an election won.  Help me to embrace the reality of the times in which we live with eager anticipation of the revelation of your power and glory in the midst of the darkness.   May my hope be found in you alone!

--------------------------------

Why not, Lord?

I spent a lot of time over the past few days (and weeks) asking the Lord for mercy and crying out for leaders to be elected who stood for life and righteousness.  When God doesn't answer our prayers, then what?

Yesterday as I prayed in the early evening hours, prior to any polls closing, the Lord whispered to me, “You know, you don’t deserve it.”  I knew right away what he meant.  America did not deserve a president who would stand for life and morality.  Outside of pockets of praying Christians, there had really been very little in the way of repentance and turning from our wicked ways.  America had not humbled herself and prayed as the Lord requires.  

Now, at that moment, when the Lord said, “You don’t deserve it,” I still held onto hope.  After all, God sometimes graces us with the blessings we do not deserve.

But I was starting to get the picture, and the following became clear through the watches of the night (for though I went to sleep not knowing the result – in fact knowing only that it was a close race -- my spirit knew then what was to come and began a dialogue with the Lord.)

These are my thoughts from the watches of the night:

First, I realized as I was falling asleep that we live in an America that is much, much different than the picture I have had in my head as I prayed.  The people are much more interested in their own individual agendas (particularly comfort and entertainment)  than they are in being “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”   For the most part, this America cares little about life and morality and is oblivious to the erosion of our freedoms.  While I have refused to acknowledge it, this nation is under a strong delusion that it does not need God and that holiness and righteousness are irrelevant.  (Ok, I admit it: my picture of America was naïve – a product of spending very little time watching news or tv or movies… but I really liked my picture and it is hard to give it up.)

Second, while this election result naturally makes our hearts mourn, at the same time the result reveals a bigger picture of the times in which we live – a picture that should make our hearts rejoice with anticipation.  We naturally mourn the “could have been,” –  the four years of turning our nation in a more positive direction that we could have had with Romney as President – there is another, more far-reaching agenda here – moving toward the return of our Lord Jesus.   Our hearts should rejoice because the times are closer than we thought.  Of course we don’t have to like these times, because they aren’t going to be easy … but at least we can comfort ourselves that these times are one more sign that the returning of our Lord and Savior is nearer than ever before.

            (Yesterday while we were praying for God to give us a righteous leader, we had a quiet time of prayer in which Grace (age 12) received a picture from the Lord.  In this picture there were many brides, trying on dresses and getting ready for a wedding and she knew that they represented the bride of Christ.  Then, she saw Jesus, the bridegroom, and he was already dressed and ready for the wedding; in fact, he was eager for the wedding!)

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!  Come, Lord Jesus!”

Third, I was reminded that the plans of the Lord cannot be thwarted.  “All these things must happen, and then the end will come.”  I believe that there was a plan A that we could have embraced but have - as a nation- refused.  However,  God's plan B, though harder, will make us stronger.  The reality is that this is good, because we will need to develop that strength more and more, the closer we come to the end times.  The tough times that will result from the next four years will strengthen us in many ways, if we are willing to turn our hearts to the Lord in prayer and surrender to his ways.  

Yes, this result will be hard, but hard will be good for us.   Even though we can hope in our hearts that things won’t be too bad, the reality is that they will go from bad to worse.  We must prepare ourselves.  But we should not be discouraged because being prepared is the right thing for this season – the times in which we live.  If Romney had won, the times would have only been delayed, not avoided – which is clear from the Word.   

Before the election, when I thought about the tough times coming if Obama won, I did realize that it would make us more dependent on God, and I knew that result, alone, might be the deciding factor.  But now that it is reality, I don’t like it one bit.  Right now I am working on calming my heart to admit that dependence on God, and great awareness of my dependence on Him, is a better place to be – the best place to be.

Likewise, our focus on the Lord will be stronger because of the times that are coming as a result of this election, too.  The Lord is longing for a pure and spotless bride who is making herself ready for the wedding supper of the lamb, and this election, and its result, is just one more way to keep the bride focused in this hour.   Before the election I kept thinking, “After the election I will still pray …,” but I realized that if we elected Romney, the temptation would be very strong to slip into self-reliance as a nation rather than realizing our great dependence on God, and continuing to cry out to God for help.

Another thing that became clear through the watches of the night is that this result is actually a blessing in ways that we cannot know - that this result has actually kept us from perils of death and destruction.  While the people of this nation who have voted to keep a president like Barak Obama are, in large part, a people who are innocent in the sense that they don’t know any better (their eyes don’t see the kingdom reality), there are also some people who support Obama who would have done things that could have made our lives in America nightmarish if the election had gone the other way.  In the middle of the night I heard these words, “This result was the only way to keep Mitt Romney alive.”  (Apparently, this was more of a true threat than I realized.)

In the end, the result of this election is for our protection, not just avoiding extreme civil unrest, but also that that the church will have no choice, as this presidency continues, but to cry out to God for mercy – so that we will put our hope in Jesus alone.   If we had elected Romney, we might have put our hope in Romney and the government.  This way we are going to have to be very dependent on God. This result will help us all to mean it when we sing, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”  See song below and in the next post.

“In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm."

Lord, calm my heart right now, and help me to realize that dependence on You, and great awareness of my dependence on You, is a better place to be – the best place to be - better than the comfort of an election won.  Help me to embrace the reality of the times in which we live with eager anticipation of the revelation of your power and glory in the midst of the darkness.   May my hope be found in you alone!

We also pray for President Obama, who now has a second chance.  We pray for his salvation - soon! - and for the turning of his heart toward life and righteousness.   Lord, you are the God of second chances and transformation -- and with You all things are possible.  Let it be!

Where is my hope?

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Orphan Sunday

On November 4th, 2012, thousands of events echo across America and around the globe, all sharing a single goal: that God’s great love for the orphan will find echo in our lives as well. http://orphansunday.org/about/

Today at church we spent an hour praying for orphans and the abandoned children around the world, as well as those who are called to adopt and foster them.  We also had an announcement of a ministry within our church that we (as a church) are starting a separate ministry to orphans, adoptive families, and foster-care families (our church is relatively young - but we are packed with families who have adopted and/or are fostering children!).

Through prayer we have seen miracles in adoption -- many families have adopted when they thought they would not be able to do so, and children have come into families when it seemed the child had no hope of the adoption coming to completion.  

Just last night we attended a fundraising event where we were introduced to dozens of internationally adopted children who have found love and security in American families.  They came from many different nations -- and all were so  uniquely beautiful (handsome, cute, adorable) that we were overwhelmed.  How blessed we are to live in a country where international adoption is encouraged and supported!  How blessed to live in a community where it is celebrated!!

May we all continue to pray that more orphans will find their forever families and that more families will be blessed with the gift of a new family member to love!

America…

Hope is found only in you, Jesus.  Lead us and guide us into your truth and your life.  Shine your brilliant light and help us to see the way that you have ordained for us.   Between now and Tuesday, open all believers eyes and hearts to understand the urgency of the hour and the critical decision before them.  Bring light to eyes that are dim.  May fear no longer be a motivator … for perfect love casts out all fear. 

Fill our hearts with your love, Lord.  Love for the unwanted, the orphans and the widows.  May your people return to the call to be your hands and feet, to help those whose voices cannot be heard above the din of arguments.  Move on the hearts of your people with the spirit of adoption – to embrace the lonely and unwanted.  May we realistically assess the role of government and appoint leaders who can lead strongly from a place of moral right – and embrace our own responsibility to help the poor.

Turn our eyes from the worthless things to embrace YOU as the HOPE of AMERICA.  May a nation turn its eyes to YOU today and tomorrow and this coming week.  Shine your favor on those who will take us in the direction of life and true hope - found in You.   May it be said of America that we have chosen life, so that we may live.  May even those who have looked elsewhere for hope completely turn around and embrace life and hope in you, even in this election. 

Shine with favor and honor on those who embrace that which you embrace, Lord.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth (here in America) as it is in heaven.

A Prayer for Multiplication

Do not despise the day of small beginnings.

Oh, how hard it is sometimes to embrace the childlike faith of my own children.  Even though I know that know that I know that our prayers from our humble den are heard and answered on high, I feel so alone, so small, so insignificant.  It seems so long ago now that we embraced this call to "a family house of prayer" and so improbable that the Lord asked me to ask for 600 family houses of prayer like this.  How can that happen?

What is impossible with me is possible with You, Lord.  Refresh my faith and renew my vision!

How, Lord, do we keep our hearts refreshed in You so that the darkness in this world doesn't overwhelm us?  Remind us that you have called us and you are not ever overwhelmed.  You who can see from beginning to end, perfect perspective, are not troubled by these times.

Open our eyes to the greater reality, the one we can barely glimpse on the horizon.

Ponderings on Slavery

Slavery, as I have understood it, has made me cringe and cry out against the gross injustice.  Until recently.  Now, I'm perplexed at my desire to embrace the unthinkable - becoming a slave.  My flesh cries out against it with reasons both sane and selfish.  How I long to be truly free!

Therein lies the rub.  I am beginning to comprehend the hard truth that has always been there, in scripture, that there is only one way to experience true freedom, and that is through voluntary slavery to Christ and his righteousness.  (I had comforted myself with milder translations - servanthood sounded both noble and do-able.  Slavery, not so much.)

The following is longer than my usual posts ... for it is my ponderings on the call to be a slave ... and what that means to me, personally.  There is a lot of scripture here, but the ponderings are incomplete.  So, read if you will ... if you really want to.  And begin your own journey.

 Who am I (and who is God) in light of the following scriptures:

2 Peter 1: 3-11

New International Version (NIV)

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:10-18

New International Version (NIV)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^[a]

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

How is it that we are so susceptible to being carried away by the error of lawlessness?  Isn’t it in the same way that the early Christians were so carried away?  Paul addressed this issue in his letter to the Romans, as he explained the concept of grace, realizing that “grace” could easily be confused with a license to do as one pleased.

Romans 6:1-4; 11-18; 22-23

New International Version (NIV)

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

^{…….. 11} In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

^{…. 22} But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Having been set free from sin – no longer caught up in sinning and controlled by sin – we are now slaves all over again; but this time we are not slaves to sin but rather slaves to God’s will and his ways.  Slaves to righteousness.  Not too many people think of the book of Romans as a call to “slavery.”  But the words are clear. 

The apostles understood this well, referring to themselves as slaves at the beginning of their letters.  Peter called himself a slave (in the Greek, doulos, also translated “bond slave” or “bondservant”) of Jesus Christ in II Peter 1:1. So did Paul in Romans 1:1 and Titus 1:1, and so did James in James 1:1, and so did Jude in Jude verse 1, and so did John in Revelation 1:1.  The word is also applied to Moses in Revelation 15:3.

As slaves of God we serve him as Master, so our service to him is not optional, but mandatory.  Perhaps we are so removed from the concept of slavery that we don’t recall its meaning.  Slaves are bound to do their master’s bidding and do not have the freedom to do as they please.

Most believers memorize Rom 6:23, above. But far fewer study 6:22 before it.  Perhaps we should all meditate on this for a day, a week, a year.  Yes, eternal life is a gift, but it is given in the context of our becoming slaves to God and reaping the benefit of holiness.

Being a slave to a cruel master, like sin, or like the slave traders of old, provided very little benefit.  But, according to verse 22, being a slave to God has a great benefit.  In being slaves of God we reap the benefit of holiness.  And it is holiness that has the result we are yearning for: eternal life.  

Too many in the church equate “holiness” with a movement that required its people to remain under the law – concerned about the outward appearance of dress and obligations.  But in Rom 6:22 we can see that true holiness is described as a benefit that we as believers reap, as a result of being slaves to God’s will.  Holiness is further stated to be the very thing that leads to eternal life.

How, then, do we live the life that we are called to live?  How do we avoid spending ourselves on things that don’t lead to eternal life – like vain arguments*?  How do we avoid being enslaved again to sin?  The key is found in understanding what it means to be a slave of God.

*1 Tim 1:6.

Our slavery to God – unlike slavery as  we understand it today -is a voluntary one.  Being a bond slave of Jesus is the breaking of my independence, and purposefully surrendering to the lordship of God.  No one can do this for me; I must do it myself.

We talk a lot about servanthood, which is good.  But what is the difference between a servant and a slave? A servant typically gets days off and makes choices, but a slave is a slave for 365 days a year and makes very few of his own choices. A servant has his own money he can spend on whatever he wishes. A slave has no money of his own; if he wants something, he must ask the master for it. A servant can marry whomever he wants. A slave must marry whomever the master tells him to marry. A slave has no possessions of his own, no rights, and he is obligated to do whatever the master commands him to do.

Today we value freedom more highly than just about anything else.  People die for freedom.  In our western concept of slavery, it is hard to imagine someone volunteering to become a permanent slave. Yet, that is the Biblical definition of a bond slave. A bond slave is a volunteer permanent slave. The passage in Scripture that defines bond slavery is found in Exodus 21:2-6:

…"But if the slave plainly says, I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' then his master shall bring him to God, and then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently...."

A Hebrew was made a slave on a temporary basis, and after his time was fulfilled, he could go out as a free man. However, if because of love for his master, the slave said that he did not want to go free, then his master would take him to God for a spiritual commitment.  They would go to the door or the doorpost where he would pierce his ear with an awl or, in other words, with a large hole - one that would never grow back. That slave would then serve him permanently. He is then a bond slave. From that moment on, he would have no time of his own, no rights of his own, no money of his own, and no possessions of his own. He would have to do whatever the master told him to do.

Even though the cost of being a bond slave is high, there is a benefit to the slave.  His master is committing to take care of him, to protect him, and to provide for him for the rest of his life. As we make this commitment to God to be his bond slave, He makes that commitment to us in return.

The real motivation for making a bond slave commitment to God is because of our love of the Master, and not because we want His divine protection (Exodus 21:5). That is simply one of the benefits.  

Most strikingly, we find ourselves being most like Jesus when we are a bond slave, because Jesus, himself, was a bond slave of God, His Father: "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond slave, and being made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:5-7).

If we truly want to follow in His steps, then we too will want to be bond slaves of God. God is doing a divine work today, calling out those who will be His bond slaves (worshipers in spirit and truth)  who are willing to live holy, righteous and pure before God, and to be obedient to Him.

When the commitment is made, to become a bond slave, there is giant shift.  Everything changes.  We see as Christ saw that there is nothing to do except that which the Father is doing.  (note the shift from “nothing worth doing” to “nothing to do.”  A slave has already counted the cost, already committed to a lifetime of obedience.  The cost and value are of no consequence now.  What the Father does and what the Father says are all that matters.

The next step in the journey is one that God offers again to all who follow in the path of obedience.  Just as Christ Jesus was both bond slave and so much more, so we are more than just bond slaves.  Having embraced the status of slave, we can receive the incredible gift the Father has in store for us…. sonship. 

Just two chapters after Romans 6, that we read above, we read in Romans 8 more about this life of the bond servant which leads to adoption as sons..

Romans 8:5-17 (NIV)

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[d] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[e] his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

By embracing the life of bond slave, we find the Father calling us by a new name – we learn that we are “God’s children.”   And rather than only knowing him “Master and Lord,” we are graced with the right to call him by a new name:  “Abba, Father” – Daddy.

To gain a greater understanding of who we are as the children of God, I meditate on the book of First John.  In this way, we remind ourselves that we are truly called to walk as children of God, dearly loved and cherished, our obedience shifting from obligation (of the bond slave alone) to obedience born of love (the child who loves his father).

At the same time, however, we must caution ourselves to not replace one truth with the other.  There is a great temptation here.  That temptation is to forget who we are in Romans 6.  Those who are walking in right relationship with the Father, as dearly loved children, will refuse the temptation to forget that they are also, in the truest sense, still surrendered as bond slaves to Him.  

In a society filled with self-willed, rebellious, and independent children, our concept of “child of God” is just as inaccurate as our concept of slave. 

In 1 John 3, we see what God means when he calls us His children:

  3 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! ….

⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.⁸ But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life^[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. ¹⁰ So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers^[b] does not belong to God.

¹¹ This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  …

¹⁴ If we love our Christian brothers and sisters,^[d] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister^[e] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

The Bible clearly tells us how to tell whether someone (including ourselves) is a child of God.  A child of a typical American family may be one who is pampered and spoiled  and who whines and cries and demands his own way.  But a child of God is the opposite of that.  According to 1 John 3:10, a child of God is one who loves others (not just in word, but in deed) and lives righteously (does what is right and pleasing to God, the Father).  

  

Lord, help us.  We live in a culture that is so opposite of your Kingdom culture, that is often difficult to understand the simplicity of your Word.  We have heard so many misinterpretations, and so many people making excuses for us, that we are lulled into a sense of complacency. 

Your word tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and we have replaced that with our own “wisdom” that says we have nothing at all to fear except fear itself.

Open our eyes to the truth of your Word.  May we see you as such an amazingly perfect God and trustworthy master that our only logical response is to cry out to be your bond slave forever. 

Lord, help me to understand more thoroughly what that means, so that I may walk fully alive in You.

I have fallen into the typical trap of thinking that others who are great in your kingdom have a special call, a special gift.  Remind me that we all have the same call to be your slaves.  Of course, once we say yes, we are yours, to do your bidding, whether that be to work in the field or the kitchen or the nursery.  But all those who say “yes” are rewarded with the prize of being yours … and the gift of eternal blessing in you.

Teach me, Lord, how to say “yes,” both today and tomorrow, and show me the necessity of saying “yes” every single day of my life.  From dawn to dawn again, a bond slave’s duty is to say yes and fulfill the master’s bidding.

Because I am now getting the inkling of clarity that being the bond slave is the only true way to fully embrace Your Kingdom, I am nearly ready to ask this:  Make me your bond slave and keep me close to you in obedience, righteousness, holiness, and love.  But perhaps I don't trust you quite enough yet.  Please reveal to me your faithful love that opens my heart to yield completely to this reality of being your slave.

And for your body, the church, I pray that you will move us far beyond arguing about semantics and theories, our minds stuck on controversies, and let us recognize the reality of who you are calling us to be …  those who are fully surrendered to your will as both slaves and sons.