Built upon

The price one is willing to pay for something says a whole lot about the 'something' they are about to purchase and the person who is willing to pay such a price! We are 'bought' with a price far too great for us to pay, but which suggests the absolute extreme value of what we are to the one who does the purchasing. A price too great for us to pay - our salvation - purchased by the life of another - the Son of God himself. That one purchase moved us into the unique position of being another's possession - owned but tremendously loved and cherished beyond measure. What does being 'owned by Christ' carry for us? Can you be bought, but not really owned? Is that even possible? I think it just may be!

Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

Ownership begins with an exchange - something changes hands. One is willing to 'give' what will allow this exchange to take place. In turn, that which is exchanged is to designed to allow something desired to come into that person's possession. What is possessed is designed for the enjoyment of the one willing to make that extreme purchase. When Jesus asks for full possession of our lives - body, soul and spirit - he is asking for access to not only our spirit, but all that gets "built" into our character as a result of that exchange. He wants the land AND the house - for the special purpose of building what he sees as most important in our lives - the land without a house is just a nice thing, but it doesn't fulfill the purpose he has in mind. It is possible for us to be in relationship with the Lord and still not be fully his. We go about building into our lives what we think is important - exclusive of what he wants for us. When we do this, we remain slaves to the pull of our flesh - responding to the sin nature that drives us.

We are bought out of slavery to our sin nature - the price for our sin being paid, we are to live in service to the one who paid the price - responding to the new nature he places within. We are to be of use to him - responding to him as he desires - allowing what is 'built' in our lives to be his work and not our own. What was accomplished in the payment of the "purchase price" is to have an affect on our entire being - nothing held back for our own purposes. Our bodies are to reflect the work of Christ. People are to see the image of the Creator in us. In other words - if God wants the "land of our lives" for his 'construction work' - so be it! Consider what areas of your life you are maintaining control over (building what you want to see built). It is quite possible that God is receiving honor from those things. Getting an education is an honoring thing to God - applying ourselves to learning is not a sinful thing in and of itself. Yet, getting that education with the intent that we climb a career ladder exclusive of God's direction in our lives can be sinful. God wants to be in the decisions of our lives, central in our focus, creating what will bring him the greatest honor. As owner of our lives, he wants to direct the outcomes of our steps.

We aren't bought with an extreme price just to be 'purchased land'. We are bought to be built upon! That means we will feel his movement repeatedly in our lives until that building 'project' is complete and it meets his satisfaction! Just sayin!

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