More Than Conquerors

In school today, we were learning about conquistadores coming to America and marching through the land with their weapons and diseases.  They either killed or enslaved and entire race of people.  But when that wasn't enough, they bought slaves from Muslim traders.  But the Muslims couldn't keep pace, so the Spaniards went to West Africa and began tromping through villages there enslaving men, women, and children.  These innocent people were then shipped over the Atlantic and put to work until they died.  They went unwillingly.
This got me thinking about Paul saying that we are slaves to sin.  Were we forced into going across the ocean or did we go willingly?  I think that we go.  Not just go but we jump on board the ship, go below decks, and put the shackles on our own legs.  We think it is going to be this great adventure but like slaves prior to us, we find out that there is not enough food, water, or sunlight.  The slave master is harsh and unforgiving and the pain we experience is unrelenting.  The few minutes of pleasure we get doesn't even compensate for the time we spend chained up and toiling away at the earth.
Why do we do it?  The African and Native American slaves had no choice.  But we do.  We willingly go and sometimes we go with great excitement and glee.  Why?  Because, we are children of the Father of lies!  Yep, you read that correctly!  Our base nature comes from the 1st sin of pride.  We inherit that.  The slaves from long ago inherited their skin color from their ancestors.  That made them a target to the white man.  Our base nature makes a target for sin.  We can't help it.  Until....
Until Jesus knocks at the door.  Some people open the door quickly and let Him in immediately.  Others(like myself) open the door after many years of Him standing out there knocking repeatedly.  Christ is a gentleman and will not go where He is not wanted.  But He wants you and me.  So He is willing to take the rejection and neglect because He loves us.  When we finally let Him in and ask Him for forgiveness, He lovingly and gently removes the manacles.  He massages and heals our wounds and He begins to heal our hearts.  You see, Christ's loves is not the slave master.  Sin is!  Christ is the emancipator.  Freeing us from our bondage and paying the price that we owed!  He changes us!  What, then, does that make us?

Children of the King!  No longer slaves but we have moved straight to the castle and donned the royal robes of splendor.  We have a new Father!  An Abba father.  He loves us!

Mis Conquistadores!

Won't you open your heart to the freedom that is offered to you?  Jesus is standing at the door and He wants to come in.  Won't you let Him?

Weeds

Mowing the grass is not my favorite thing in world to do. Yard work in general makes me groan with intense dislike. But, sometimes, it must be done and sometimes I am the person who has to do it. As I was pushing the lawnmower around the edges of the yard so that I could get on the riding mower and finish, I got to thinking about the weeds. We have more poison ivy on our property than I have ever seen. It is growing on everything around the outskirts of the yard. It is a plague! I am not allergic but my hubby is, severely! He doesn't have breathing issues or anything but the sores bleed and break open and are gross. They hurt him immensely.

That got me thinking(frankly there is nothing else to do while mowing grass). Our lives are like that. God intended for us to have this beautifully, manicured garden for a soul. When we sinned, weeds began creeping into the yard choking the good, fruit-bearing plants. As we try to live a good life, the weeds(sin) take over. It grows on everything in its reach. Now matter how much we mow, the weeds just keep coming back over and over again. Then, Jesus comes into our lives and cleanses our hearts and souls. The Holy Spirit grabs the Holy Lawn Mower and Saintly Weed killer and gets to work. He beats back the sins and regrets of the past and begins to get the yard into shape. His mercy is the soil and His love, the fertilizer. God is a master gardener working to prune our lives and make us fertile. He is patient and caring and works with us.

We will let more weeds back into our lives because we are human. But, the Gardener never tires nor sleeps. He continually works to complete in us what He started. One day, we will be restored to our previous condition of perfection and weeds will be no more. For now, let's pull on our gloves, grab our clippers and get to work!