March 18

Consecration

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. — 1 Cor 6:19-20 BSB

The fact that we have been bought with a price—not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ—is the foundation of all true consecration (1 Peter 1:18). In consecration, we do not make ourselves Christ's; we simply acknowledge that we already belong to Him by an unbreakable right. In the ancient slave market, human beings were sold like livestock, and this image illustrates the first step of our devotion to Christ, the Lord who bought us. Just as slaves passed from one master to another, sometimes selling themselves into slavery until the year of Jubilee, so too our Kinsman, Christ, redeemed us from sin, guilt, and condemnation. As He purchases us, He says, “You shall be Mine; you shall not belong to another.”

Christ’s claim on us is based on His supreme sacrifice. “He gave Himself for us,” says the Apostle Paul, “to redeem us from all wickedness” (Titus 2:14). He gave Himself up to death on the cross so that we might consider ourselves dead to sin. The apostles often referred to themselves as "slaves of Jesus Christ." Oh, that we all might live this way, seeing nothing as our own, but recognizing that everything we have is entrusted to us for the service of our Lord and Master. He assigns to each of us the work we are best suited for. Some are called to serve in prominent places, while others work in humble obscurity, but all tasks are important in the Master's house. All He asks of us is faithful service. I will never forget when I first realized that my Lord owned me, that I was His possession, and no longer had any option or choice for my own enjoyment or benefit. The life that began at that moment has been one of perfect freedom, for the paradox of Christ's service is this: only His slaves are truly free, and the more we obey Him, the more we drink from the sweet cup of liberty!

Prayer

O Lord, I give myself to You. I was born to serve You, to be Yours, and to be Your instrument. I do not ask to see or to know; I ask only to be used by You. Amen.