Not too many years ago slavery was widely practiced in this country. It was one of the most ungodly atrocities that has ever befallen America. Envision for a moment standing at a slave market, and here is a huge hulk of a man, in chains, to be auctioned off as a human slave, a piece of chattel. The auction starts.
"Who'll give me ten dollars?" the auctioneer calls. And the bidders respond with enthusiasm. Soon the auctioneer is fielding bids of one hundred dollars, then two hundred for the man. The price goes up to a point nobody can bid except one man who's extremely wealthy. And he offers top dollar. The auctioneer says, "Sold!" The transaction is complete. The slave brought down to his new owner. The owner is given the key to the man's chains. He then reaches down and unlocks the chains and removes them from the man. He looks at the man he just bought and says, "Sir, go free." The slave looks at him and says, "Sir, I thought you bought me." The wealthy man says, "I did. I bought you to set you free. Now go free." The man says, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" "Because I love you. And because God didn't create you to be a slave. He created you to be free." At this the slave asks, "Sir, where do you live?" "Oh, I live just over the hill there," answers the wealthy man. "Where are you going now?" asks the now-former slave. "I'm going home." "Sir, can I go with you?" "Sure. But only if you want to - not because you have to. But if you want to go with me, I'd love to have you come and be my friend." The slave looks the man in the eye and says without reservation, "When a man loves me like that, I want to go home with him forever." That man was purchased so that he could be set free.
Folks, I believe some of the deepest knowledge of God was experienced over and over during that awful era of slavery. The slaves had nothing. They were stripped of everything. All they had was Jesus. And by having Him, they had everything. Many beautiful and meaningful songs came out of slavery. They're songs of a deep understanding of Jesus. Back in those days, one of the ways they kept slavery going was by prohibiting the slaves from having shoes. That way, if they ever escaped, they'd be easier to find barefooted. People would easily spot them as slaves and turn them in. Those slaves didn't have shoes or freedom, but they knew that someday they would have shoes and would be free. And that's how the great spiritual was born, "I got shoes, you got shoes, all God's children got shoes. And when I get to heaven I'm gonna put on my shoes, gonna dance all over God's heaven, heaven-gonna dance all over God's heaven." Why'd they sing that? Because they knew someday they were going to be in the presence of Jesus, and they were going to have their shoes in heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ has set you and me free because He bought us so He could set us free. Don't let yourself be yoked again to this burden of slavery. Don't let anyone ever put you back under the law again. But go free in Jesus Christ! [Bob George, Grace Stories, pgs. 206-208]
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