Lead Me

"There is a story from the American Civil War of a Northerner who bought a young slave at a slave auction. As they left the auction, the man turned to the girl and said, "You're free!" 

She turned to him in amazement. "You mean I'm free to do whatever I want?" 

"Yes," he said.

"And to say whatever I want to say?"

"Yes, anything."

"And to be whatever I want to be?"

"Yes!"

"And even go wherever I want to go?"

"Yes!" He laughed. You're free to go wherever you'd like!"

She looked at him intently and replied, 

"Then I will go with you." 

(Story from: Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd Jones)

I love this story!! 

This man gave this girl freedom! 

Slavery is horrendous! As a slave, she was destined to toil for the person with the highest bid, shrinking wearily and worn beneath her masters demands. Most likely, seperated from her family and taken from the only land she knew. 

Did you know the Bible talks about all mankind being slaves to something or someone?

"Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living..."

(Romans 6:15)

Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all human beings have been and are born with a sinful nature. We toil under the weight of selfishness, self righteousness, and self-reliance. We live a life bound for eternal death and destruction. We grow weary and whether we recognize it or not, we long for Someone to set us free. 

The man in the story above is a picture of who Jesus is, only Jesus is even better! Our sinfulness deserved punishment and Jesus received this punishment in our place. He bought our freedom by willingly dying on the cross. That was the price God required to buy our freedom. So now, by faith in Jesus, we can step into that freedom fully accepted by God as His child.

"Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living." 

(Romans 6:16)

The Bible talks about us being transformed from slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness. You might ask yourself, "Is that any better?!"

Yes it is. 

Let's look at the girl in the story above. She recognized that the man truly cared about her because he bought her in order to set her free. He rescued her from those who most likely would have used and abused her. This act of compassion compelled her to live out her new found freedom with him, to be subject to where he went and what he did. 

Those who rest their faith in Jesus, recognize His immense love for them and His desire to give them a life of freedom filled with the peace, joy and rest that is found only with Him.

As the Holy Spirit helps us to continually recognize and believe this, we will desire to live our life following Jesus, obeying Him, and like the scripture says above, as a "slave" to righteousness. 

There is a difference between being a slave to sin and a slave to righteousness:

The first demands we toil our lives away in vain, succumbing to whatever feels good in the moment but never satisfies. We are subject to passions that will destroy us, leaving us weary and worn. 

The first, ultimately leads to eternal death. 

The second, means we joyfully live our lives in service to the One who rescued us. We gratefully live our lives subject to the One who loves us perfectly, sustains us with His strength and injects our lives of freedom with purpose and joy.  

The second, leads to life-everlasting.

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing." (Psalm 143:10)

Teach (lamad) to train, discipline

Lead (nachah) to guide, to govern

Firm (miyshowr) level, upright, just

Footing ('erets) ground

*Hebrew words in parenthesis

"Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."

(Psalm 25:4-5)

Make me to know (yada) to be aquainted, to aquire knowledge

Salvation (yesha) deliverance, liberty

Wait (qavah) to expect, hope for, look for

*Hebrew words in parentheses

Do you hear the psalmist's desire in the words above? His desire to be trained, guided and governed by God? The psalmist knew that God was the One who delivered him and gave him liberty. This was Who the psalmist looked for, hoped in, and desired to follow.

What a beautiful aspect of the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see Jesus' death on the cross as God's great gift of freedom to us, we will be compelled to follow Him and say, "teach me to do Your will, lead me in Your truth, for YOU I wait all the day long!" 

We will be compelled to live a life subject to the One who set us free!

Sincerely, 

Amy