January 6 – Not Your Own (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

“You are not your own, you were bought at a price.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

IN WORD:
Life is a series of decisions. Some of them are relatively minor, others have lasting impact. We often act on the minor decisions — what to eat, what to wear, who to talk to, etc., out of our natural behavior patterns, giving them little or no thought. With the more serious choices — which job to take, where to live, and the like — we weigh pros & cons and try to determine the right course of action. In any case, we are likely to forget an important backdrop to our decision making: We are not our own. We belong to God.
Isn’t this easy to forget? We tend to approach life with a certain autonomy, as though we are independent individuals with a responsibility to acknowledge God in worship and sacrifice. But God wants a deeper worship in our lives. Rather than living independently of Him while giving Him our respect, He wants us to live dependently on Him with the awareness that every action, every thought, every impulse is to fit into His purposes. We must not act — or even breathe — without this awareness. We have been bought. We are His!
Some might consider this the equivalent of slavery. Paul always did (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1), regardless of whether he was free or in prison. But it is a joyful service that carries with it no sense of oppression. How could it? Our Master is the epitome of benevolence. He knows our innermost being and is zealously intent on fulfilling us. The key for us is living with the knowledge that we are owned and operated by the most loving and qualified Owner possible.

IN DEED:
The Christian who lives with this wisdom — that we are owned by Another — is a Christian profoundly changed. Our decisions are affected, our character is reformed, and our load is lightened. We lose the right to ourselves, but we also lose the burden of self-rule. It is a wonderfully freeing truth. Everything about us is the concern of Someone else. Glory to God!

“The condition for gaining God’s full blessing is absolute surrender to Him.” -Andrew Murray-