I Am Not My Own
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)
Everyone knows there is a God. And everyone fights against that. We want things our way, on our terms. We want to live our lives apart from anyone or anything telling us what we can or cannot do. Yet the need for God in our lives is so deep and so misunderstood that we replace Him with religion, money, friends, sports, sex, work, etc. And our world is shattered because we refuse to believe that we are not our own that we are not to be like those in the world but to be set apart, sanctified, holy and pure.
We say, “I have the right to be happy, to pursue life on my own terms, I am a self-made man, a believer and I have been set free to do and say whatever I want!” However, if you are a born-again believer, the Bible clearly states that you are not your own – you belong to God. Because you have been bought at a price, you are now a bondservant of Christ. His death freed you from sin and you are now obligated to serve Him and Him alone.
"I am not my own. I was bought with a price." This is something you should commit to long-term memory and meditate on every day of your life. You have no final right to yourself. God does not take away your right of choice. He does not turn you into some non-thinking, unresponsive robot, but He says you will have to account for the decisions you make, the life you lead, the fruit you bear. God bought you, He owns you, and you are His by right of creation and of purchase, to send you where He wants you to go, to have you live for Him. He reserves the right to take away from your life whatever He sees is harmful to you, whether you like it or not, to give you both blessing and trial alike as He sees that you need each, and to guide you as a loving Father to the place where you recognize that He owns you - you belong to Him. God is glorified when you begin to live moment-by-moment by His Holy Spirit and live in the reality that: “Lord, You are Lord of my life."
Prayer
Lord, I thank You for these powerful words. I confess to You how little I know about my own nature, how easily I have given in to the lies and illusions and deceptions of this world. Forgive me Lord, and help me in the light of Your Word to walk in different ways than I have ever walked before. Help me to show in my daily life the holiness of a life hidden in Christ Jesus through the power of Your Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Live Christ Deliberately!
Doug Morrell |
