The greatest freedom we
can ever have is to become a slave to the Perfect Master.
These
were the words I repeatedly heard in a series of sermons our senior pastor
delivered in the middle of last year. And I am completely blown away with this
perfect paradox.
Indeed,
for most of my life, I used to always crave for freedom, for independence—living
and surviving on my own, for my own whims and caprices, by my own ways, in
order to glorify myself. It was only about four years ago that I met the Lord
Jesus Christ and by His grace, I realized that He is my freedom and that
becoming a child of God is the most liberating experience one can experience!
Nonetheless,
even now that I am walking under the authority and control of the Perfect
Master, I still find my human tendencies entangling me in a web of slavery to selfish
ambitions and worldly pursuits—to please people, to live up to the desires and
expectations of many, and even to the mundane stuff, like to dress to impress.
It
takes a daily, moment-by-moment commitment to surrender to His Lordship in
order to experience the perfect and most amazing freedom that only Jesus can
give. And most often, it takes a beautiful exchange of perspective: looking
away from myself and looking up to my Master.
And
what does Christ show me when I look up to Him? He shows me the world; He shows
me what’s around me—the people and places I have constantly overlooked when my
focus is on myself.
Today,
I look up to Him and He shows me modern-day slavery. He shows me the
heart-wrenching reality that yes, even if it’s already 2013, slavery is on-going
and is even rampant in different areas in the world, my country not exempted. He
shows me that while I am comfortably seated in my office corner writing this
entry, these realities are happening:
1) somewhere in a train
station or bus lane in Europe, a young boy/girl is being sold to save a family
from poverty;
2) somewhere in a dark
brothel room in Southeast Asia, a young woman is being forced to perform paid sex;
3) somewhere in a cargo
van in Russia, a teenage girl’s dream of uplifting her family from poverty is
shattered as she realizes that after paying her placement fee, the caregiving job
promised by her recruitment man is actually a job in the sexual trade.
January
is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and it is high time that we know all
these. It is high time that we know Jesus’ heart for every boy/girl/man/woman
trapped in sexual slavery. It is high time that we adopt His heart and His plan
for them—to love and rescue them just as He continually loves and rescues us
from our many sins.
We are Christ’s ambassadors here in this world we
live. We are His hands and feet. If you have been reading this post and are
moved to help but feel inadequate or too little to make a difference, let us
all together consider these simple action steps:
1.
Know.
We are not compelled to
move if we are not passionate about our causes. We don’t become passionate if
we don’t see the needs. We don’t see the needs if we do not know. Nehemiah hadto know about the situation in Jerusalem and this led him to pray and act.
To know more about the
political and social situation of human trafficking in Southeast Asia and
beyond, visit The Exodus Road.
2.
Pray.
Offer a prayer in
faith, with faith. The Bible says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. We have been made righteous in Christ. Tap into this
amazing power to make things happen. Remember, it is not us who make things
happen; our perfect and sovereign God does.
Pray for the Lord to
reveal to you what He wants to do through you.
3.
Act.
Prayer is
communication. When we pray, we do not just tell God our petitions. We listen
to Him and respond to what He says. Move as His Spirit leads. Is He telling you
to pray for one soul trapped in sexual slavery or the investigators who risk
lives and limbs to rescue them? Then, bring him/her to God on your knees, even
if you do not know his/her name or face. Is He leading you to raise awareness
through social media? Then open up your Facebook or Twitter and let the whole
world know. Is He asking you to write about sexual slavery in your blogs? Then,
respond to it.
Remember, where God
leads, He always provides.
***
There are countless ways
to help. As we know, pray, and act, let’s watch the Lord do immeasurably more
than we can ask for.
Personally, I am
excited to see great things happen (actually, great things are alreadyhappening here) and I am prayerfully hoping that the less time I spend thinking of my self and the more time I spend doing His will, these
boys/girls/men/women will soon become slaves to no one but Christ.
