Gloria
Phifer
A
slave, I stood bound by the shackles of sin.
My clothing was ragged and stained.
My appearance was a reflection of my condition.
The
auction block of the world stood before me.
I was pushed with a stream of humanity as our taskmaster surveyed his
possessions.
Promises
of pleasures for my flesh had lured me deeper into sin. With each new venture, chains of bondage
tightened their grip on my soul.
Fettered and shackled, I was helpless to free myself. The deceiver had fed his lies and now I was
powerless to escape.
“Thirty
pieces of silver…who will give me the price of a slave?” Satan laughed as he
pushed me forward.
The
auction block felt cold as I stumbled upon it.
“She’s
a born loser. Who will pay me the price
for this slave?” he continued.
The
crowd taunted me with jeers and cruel jesters.
There was no kindness, only contempt.
“She’s
not worth the price of a slave.” Satan yelled as he brought the whip into the
air.
I
braced myself bending low against the expected blow. The whip never lowered but Satan stood
transfixed with his hand poised in the air.
Could that be an expression of fear on the face of the Prince of Fear?
A
soft stirring was felt in the crowd. A
gentle breeze touched my fevered face. I
lifted my head and watched as a figure moved with authority through the crowd
toward the auction block. Standing
before me stood the Presence, the stature of a man, and yet more than a
man. I looked into eyes filled with
deepest love…searching deep into my soul…the longings…the chains…the
hurts. I was transfixed by his
look. Hope quivered within.
Satan,
regaining his strength, stepped forward, “You’ll not have her,” he said with a
trembling voice. “She’s mine, You’ll not
use her for Your purposes.”
With
great magnitude and splendor, Jesus spoke with authority:
“I paid the price for her
freedom. If she chooses to accept My
provision, she shall go free!”
The
choice was mine! Would I stay a slave to
sin and bondage or accept freedom from the Son of God?
“I
will accept the price You paid, You are the Savior of my soul!” With each word my spirit grew stronger.
Chains
lay broken at my feet. Gone were the
ragged, stained clothes of sin. Garments white as snow covered me. I moved with freedom and joy. “For whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”
Satan
fled. The auction block and the crowd
vanished from view. Jesus and I alone
were left. I looked into my Saviors eyes
as He spoke, “My child, I have redeemed you.
I paid the price for your freedom with my life’s blood that was shed for
you. Your value is priceless to me. Never return to the auction block of sin
where men are sold as cheap possessions.
Stay close to My side and free from the lure of the world. I have the highest purposes for you. The stream of humanity must be told of the
price I paid. I commission you to take
the good news that he whom the Son of God sets free is free indeed.”
