Chained Like Jacob Marley

Sure, I know. Christmas is over. However, since it is so fresh in our minds, you'll have to pardon the comparison I'm about to make (fa la la la laaaa, la la la la.....Oops, sorry! That just slipped out).

Ever since I was a child, I have absolutely loved the movie "A Christmas Carol." I've never found a version of it that I haven't enjoyed (and believe me, there are many versions). I love the whole Victorian era, the clothes and the language, but most of all, I love the message of the story. It's quite symbolic of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The verse I'm using for meditation today is Romans 8:1-4:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has FREED YOU from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 

When I read this verse, I think of Scrooge as he is visited by the ghost of Christmas future. This is the most fearsome ghost of all for Scrooge (and would probably be for most of us) and the visit proves to be the most agonizing one of the night. He is faced with his own "legacy" and the rapidly approaching death that promises to drag him into a deep, dark grave leading straight to a fiery hell.

 Source: www.public-domain-image.com

Not very assuring.

Remember Scrooge's deceased partner, Jacob Marley? When he first visited Scrooge to warn him of the three ghostly visits and to urge him to change his ways, Scrooge was completely freaking out. It was not because of the visit from Marley himself, but because of the magnitude of the chains he bore. They were extremely heavy, numerous, and loud. Marley had to drag them around for all eternity as a result of how he lived his life.

Source: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net 

 

Now imagine those chains are yours as a result of your sin. The evil things you have done and the sin nature that has bound you in those chains is dragging you into a deep, dark grave leading straight to a fiery hell. Terrified, you're falling in darkness, dragged against your will farther and farther until, in desperation, you cry out to God asking for forgiveness for your sins.

SNAP!

You hear the deafening sound of metal breaking as you are suddenly jerked upward like you had just opened a parachute. The wind on your face as you fly upward and out of the grave is a welcome feeling. Your feet touch the ground and as your eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, you are able to see that your chains are gone. You are FREE!

Now imagine you see the One who had the power to do that for you. What would you do?

This is how I envision what Jesus did for us. The question is: How do we respond?

Do we take it for granted and walk right back into a life of sin or do we see it for the precious gift that it is and turn away from sin to follow the Spirit? I am so grateful that I was given that second chance and that God offered me freedom when I deserved death. One of my favorite worship songs, "In Christ Alone," says:

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

 

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me (PRAISE GOD!!!)
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ



This is what being a Christian means. It means that you turned from sin to follow the Savior and he broke your chains when you were powerless to save yourself. You are FREE!

That just makes you want to shout, doesn't it?!

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Na Na Na Boo Boo!

Have you ever been bullied as a child? It may have been at school by the playground hoodlums or even by a friend at their house. I know I have. I have met some seriously pushy people in my lifetime! If you have been in that situation and were lucky, you may have had a grown up step in on your behalf to defend you.

I'm telling you, that is the BEST feeling when someone steps up beside you, puts their arm around you, and tells your bullies, "If you're going to get to her, you've got to go through me."

The looks on their faces let you know they have been defeated because they do not want the kind of trouble they'd get for going against an adult. A feeling of relief and peace washes over you knowing that this person has just saved you by identifying with you and standing with you so you didn't have to face it alone. In fact, she was willing to stand in FRONT of you and take whatever was about to be unleashed. In that moment, you wanted to wrap your arms and legs around her leg and let her drag you through the rest of your life to protect you!

 

By standing with you to identify with you, the message that teacher sent to your bullies was that you have a big body guard who's not afraid to do business. Your identity shifted from "the lone wolf" to a pack of wolves. You were no longer alone.

 

 

Source: Public Domain

What a feeling!!

 

That is the scenario that comes to my mind when I read these verses:

Colossians 2:8-10 (NLT)

 

8 Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. 9 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, 10 and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.            

This world is full of "bullies" (whether they are human or spiritual in nature) who work hard to lead us astray with their philosophies, paradigms, and perspectives on just about everything. They will use any topic to try to disprove that we are who Christ says we are not to mention the fact that they try to disprove Christ himself. The bad news is that living in a world full of these people can be challenging and discouraging at times, but the good news is that as followers of Christ, we will never have to stand alone.

 

When we give our heart to God, we are immediately blessed with a Heavenly Companion to go with us through life who is also not afraid to do business on our behalf. United with the Spirit of Christ himself, we are made complete (lacking nothing) by our connection with him. He is the head over every "bully" we could ever face and is the ultimate authority. Our very identity shifts so that it's not just us anymore, but it is "us and Christ." I am no longer Christy, but I am "Christy and Christ." He is always with us. He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). That means he is not giving up on us. Ever.

 

That just makes you want to go through life singing, "Na Na Na Boo Boo, you can't get me!!"

 

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