A Bond-Slave

This week in the Surrender book by Nancy DeMoss, she talks about a bond-slave.

Bond-slaves were described in the Old Testament.

"This was the act of a man who voluntarily said to someone he had come to know and love and trust, 'I am yours - I belong to you, and I want to spend the rest of my life fulfilling your wishes.'"

DeMoss goes on to say that though this bond-slave relationship is spelled out, there are no recorded instances of one who surrendered to this.

Isn't that interesting? God spelled out in the law how a slave could do this voluntarily when it was time for him to be freed. But there are no known bond-slaves recorded. No one was willing to surrender to this lifetime of serving their master.

However, I don't think we could truly understand what a bond-slave looked like until we had an example. This is what Jesus did. He was a bond-slave to the Father.

After Jesus set the example, Paul and Peter both wrote about being bond-slaves to Christ. How often we read Paul's words in which he says things like he is no longer his own.

Leonard Ravenhill wrote:

"Lord, engage my heart today
with a passion that will not pass away.
Now torch it with Thy holy fire
that nevermore shall earth's desire
invade or quench the heaven born power.
I would be trapped within Thy holy will,
Thine every holy purpose to fulfill,
that every effort of my life
shall bring rapturous praise to my eternal King.
I pledge from this day to the grave
to be Thine own, unquestioning slave.
Lord, grant that this prayer shall be our own. Amen.

The more I read through Ravenhill's words, the more meaning I see.

How I want to be able to wholeheartedly say the same, which exudes full surrender.

What thoughts do you have on being a bond-slave and on Ravenhill's soliloquy of surrender?

My Surrender to the Stomach Bug

Oh boy! Can you say, I got run over by a truck? This is the reality I've lived during a big portion of this past week.

Having worked in Pre-K for four and a half years and still working with germy high school kids, I have a pretty tough immune system. I don't normally succumb to the illnesses around me. But this time the stomach bug must have found that one weak spot.

But you know, laying in the bed, not feeling like getting up because of lack of energy, can teach you a lot about surrender.

As you know if you follow this blog, that's my word for this year - SURRENDERED.

For those of you who just rolled your eyes and shook your head, whispering under your breath, "Is she crazy or something?" - I didn't choose this word for myself. God impressed this word upon me for days and I finally had to do my first act of surrender.

There are things we don't have control over "surrendering" to, like stomach bugs, or what family you're born into, or what you look like and who you are. I mean, I had to basically surrender in defeat to this stomach bug. I had no choice. I felt awful and basically couldn't get out of bed for a couple of days. There was no use in fighting and saying, "You won't get me down." I was down for the count.

Then there's the issue of the family you're born into and the person you are. You may as well surrender to those things because "it is what it is" - to use one of my hubby's favorite quotes. But don't we sometimes still balk at these things like we could change it?

Now on the other hand, there are things we can choose to surrender to or not. We can surrender to self pity, bitterness, or even anger. Yes, because all of these are choices.

We can also surrender to peace and you know where that comes from? God. But to have peace means to unconditionally surrender to Him.

In most wars and battles one side is called upon to surrender so peace can come.

Guess what? We're in a battle. God calls on us to surrender to Him and His will and then we can have His peace.

In Surrender by Nancy Leigh DeMoss she says, "Our initial surrender must be followed by an ongoing process of working out the reality of our surrender in practical, day-to-day ways."

With my stomach bug, I had to succumb to resting and doing what I needed to get over it. I couldn't defy it and keep going. Nope. I had to surrender to what I needed to do to get better.

Sometimes in this day-to-day surrender with God, I have to be willing to do the same. He might call me to surrender to a new job or a new attitude. These are things I have to surrender to and then work through what that means.

Well, I have now conquered the stomach bug, but the daily surrendered thing? Yeah, that's gonna take a little bit more work. Good thing God gave me this whole year to study it. I think I'm gonna need it.

Do you struggle with surrendering all unconditionally to God? Share.

Gotta Be Ready

Have you heard that verse quoted? You know the one about being ready in season or out of season, being ready to always give an answer as to where our hope comes from.

That message reached out and grabbed me this week at school.

The students were working on a community service project, making blankets for the animal shelter. They were sitting in small groups working and just chatting. I was reading, still available for my hard of hearing student, in the event she needed sign for communicating.

All of the sudden I hear them discussing religion and God. I sat up especially straight when one young man said, "Well, the way I see it, all the religions will eventually lead to God or heaven or whatever." Some of the others agreed or posed other questions. I was biting my tongue, feeling they would never think to ask my opinion.

Then the young man looked at me and said, "Mrs. Mowery, what do you think?"

My heart skipped a beat. My philosophy is that if a student asks me about religion or God or my spiritual life, I will answer. I don't force my opinion in and am not supposed to, but if I'm asked, then I go for it.

I heaved a deep breath and started with, "Now, I have an answer. But let me warn you that my husband is a pastor and I am a Christian." They urged me on with nods.

I proceeded right there in the middle of the computer classroom to tell them that not all religions and beliefs lead to heaven or God. I clearly stated that the Bible says that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. That means believing that He died for my sins, accepting Him, and living for Him.

One young lady said, "So, those other religions will mean those people go to hell?"

I had to chuckle under my breath. She didn't pull any punches.

I answered, "The only way that God made for us to go to heaven is through His Son which He provided out of His great love for us. Since that is the only way God says we can go to heaven then any other route won't lead there. So, yes, I believe that anyone who doesn't follow God's way will go to hell."

Heavy stuff for freshmen computer class that day. But I was just glad that they were searching and willing to hear what someone else said.

One of the young ladies was wearing a necklace with a cross on it. She stated some things about Jesus. I didn't get to ask her, but I think she actually mentioned going to church.

Oh my! If she is still that confused about God and eternity, I gotta get busy!

I want to give a warning that I have given to my couples Sunday school class: Don't assume because you bring your kids to church that they "get it." There's more to it. We as parents have to be more intentional about making sure our kids understand what they're hearing at church. We have to support it at home and live it out in front of them, so they'll know for sure what Jesus has done for them.

Though I'm a bit nervous, I hope for more opportunities to speak into these young lives. In just three more years, these young people will be venturing into the world to become the next leaders and parents. I want them to know the Truth.

Have you had an instance where God has nudged you into talking about your faith? When and where?

Seasons and Surrender

Friends, I'm just returning from a marriage retreat. This weekend is something I look forward to each year - the getting away and the getting away with my hubby.

The speakers talked about seasons of life. My hubby often speaks of seasons, saying that this is just the season we are in. But our retreat speakers got a bit more specific.

We were to think of the spring as new beginnings like when you are newlyweds or have a baby. The summer time is a busy time of tending the garden and work. Then the fall is a time to enjoy the fruits from the labor of summer.

I realized that after turning fifty this year that I was thinking I should be going into the fall season. I was ready to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor and maybe have things slow a bit. But then God plopped a new job into my lap. And He turned right around and gave me SURRENDERED as my word of the year.

Now I get it. God wants to make sure I keep myself in a surrendered posture so He can lead and show me the work for this summer season. I won't lie. I am experiencing some frustration, wanting to be in the fall season. But God has never let me down in this adventure with Him. I know I can trust Him.

There's a verse in 2 Kings where the king of Judah is told to surrender to the king of Babylon. What a downer, right? I mean, this is God's instruction to the king of Judah. But when I read this verse and the passage surrounding it, I realized that sometimes surrendering isn't at all what I want to do. I'm sure the king of Judah would have preferred God worked things out another way. But God is God and He has His way. If I'm to follow what He has in store for me, I may have to surrender to some things I would rather not surrender to.

All this to say, I have to surrender to the fact that God has me in the summer season. He's having me cultivate and tend and work longer. I've reminded Him that I'm not as young as I used to be, but He provides the strength.

So on this journey to discover why God would have me use the word SURRENDER as my guide word for the year, I've realized a part of it. Now it's time to stop whining and get to work. Oops! A little groan eeked out. Sorry. But I'm still working on this total surrender.

Have you ever had to surrender to God's ways when you would have preferred your own? Share with us a little about that. Please encourage us in this surrender path. 

Be Careful What You Do New Year's Day

My Mamaw Lindsey used to say this. She would explain that the things you do on New Year's Day would be the things you would be doing the most throughout the new year.

She would warn against doing laundry unless that's what you wanted to do all year long. Thinking back - Did I do laundry on New Year's Day last year? I must have. I seemed to always have a mountain of it. She warned about doing dishes too. I won't go there.

As I sat down at my desk this morning, I jumped into my study for my one word for this year. Then I thought about how studying God's Word is a good thing to do today in hopes that I might do a lot of that this year.

As I've already shared, my one word for this year is SURRENDERED. First, I looked up all the forms of surrender in my big concordance. I wrote each verse address at the top of one of my devotional journal pages.

Even though some of the verses refer to actual surrendering like during war or sieges in the Bible, I've been able to glean something from each verse to apply to my life. Of course, I'm a firm believer in the Bible being the living Word of God. And the Spirit can illuminate principles to me no matter where the verse in found.

I also went on a search for a devotional book or study of some kind on surrender. I found one that I think will fit my needs well. It is called Surrender; The Heart God Controls by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I read through the preface and introduction yesterday. Seems like it will be a great read.

I'm hopeful that my mamaw's idea will ring true, and I'll be into His Word a lot this year.

The other thing I did was to make breakfast for my family. I broke open the baking mix and tried my hand at cinnamon biscuits with powdered sugar icing. Must have been okay because the pan is empty. I will be making what my daughter feels is the traditional meal for New Year's Day - cube steak, mashed potatoes, green peas, rolls, and country gravy.

Though Mamaw might warn me about the cooking, I think the idea of providing for my family is just fine for something to spend time doing this year. Now, I will definitely take help cleaning the dishes!

Precious Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I pray you begin your New Year with those things that are important to you and those things that might become the good habits.

What are you filling your New Year with?