am i a slave girl?

Upon arriving at a slave auction Abraham Lincoln saw a young black girl up on the block waiting to be sold. He was moved with compassion, so he placed a bid and won her. After purchasing her, Lincoln told the young disbelieving girl that she was free.

In her surprise she said, “What does that mean?”

“It means you are free,” he replied.

“Does that mean,” she said, “I can say whatever I want to say?”

“Yes, my dear, you can say whatever you want to say.”

“Does that mean I can be whatever I want to be?”

“Yes, you can be whatever you want to be.”

“Does that mean I can go wherever I want to go?”

“Yes, you can go wherever you want to go.”

And the girl, with tears streaming down her face, said, “Then I will go with you.” 

This little story reminds us that, just like this young girl, we too have been set free.

John 15:15  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Galatians 5:1

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

"Paul writes that when God reconciles us to Himself, He calls us out of death and darkness into life and light. He makes those who were once strangers and aliens sons and daughters.

He did not just enter our story, but He also grafted us into the grand story of redemption. This story is one of a loving God setting the captives free.

You and I were once far from God, dead in our sins and trespasses and without hope. But God, being rich in His mercy and love, reconciled us to Himself through Christ. We have been set free by the blood of the cross.

This means that you and I have been set free, our response is to cling to the One who set us free – our response is to use our stories to paint a picture of freedom to those around us."  Trevor Joy

Tyler and I attended a conference at The Village Church in Dallas a couple of months ago.  The praise team was led by Michael Bleecker.  We sang this song before every session and I was so moved by it.  He told me that it is an old hymn and they had done this new arrangement around the words.  You can purchase the entire album on itunes.

Journal Time...

1.  Write down the comparison between a slave and a free man.  Are you living life as if you were slave to the Law or purchased by His love?

2.  What are the emotions (exposure) that arise in you when you are living like a slave girl?

3. Write this verse out in first person..."It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."  Choose a situation/relationship you are presently in and write out how it would look differently if you were acting out your gospel found freedom rather than slavery.

4.  What emotions arise within you when you are living free?

Stop now and praise and thank Him for your new found freedom.