Ears (Part 2)

I looked back at one of the blog post I have written a few weeks ago and I suddenly realised that I'd forgotten to include an important revelation, hence this is part 2. (This is why God tells us to write down all the words He has spoken to us. [Jeremiah 30:2] )

The Lord gave me a pair of ears during Church Camp and spoke to me about hearing and obeying Him. Sometimes we may think that obeying the Lord is something very hard to achieve, because although we are born-again and spirit-filled, we still have the old nature of sinning against God.

Did you know that when we become Christians, we belong to God? Okay, maybe you know this. But do you know this as a piece of information and knowledge, or do you really take it as your new identity in Christ? This is what makes the difference.

I realised that as I learned more and more about the grace of God, the more I could appreciate what the Lord has done to give me a new identity, a new life. This statement "I belong to God" gives an underlying meaning that He owns me. God owns every part of me -- spirit, soul and body. He owns everything I have -- relationships, career, finance, health, talents, spiritual giftings, etc. God owns my heart, my inward parts, the deepest and most profound part of me.

Now imagine this: The Master has just bought a slave who have been in the bondage of a cruel, heartless enemy for years. He bought the slave with His livelihood, not because He wants to impose control over the slave, but because He wants to free him. Now the slave has been set free from all the bondages of the enemy, he no longer needs to endure tortures and sufferings, and he can now serve the new Master. Yet, the Master knows that the servant would probably take some time to understand the new ways of obeying serving his new Master, and He is gracious to his servant. Would it be right if the servant abuses his Master's grace and betrays Him?

God says His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in weaknesses. By grace, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are now slaves of righteousness. Sin shall have no dominion over us, for we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Therefore, we are able to walk in the newness of life, for we know that our old nature was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).

More than that, God calls us as His children. We are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters of God, and if sons and daughters, then heirs of God through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26, 4:7). We truly, truly belong to God.

And if we belong to God, as children of God we love Him and obey His commandments. Not that we are able to by our own strength, but simply because He has given us the grace to hear and obey Him. 1 John 5:3 says: "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

King David understood that he belonged to God and ought to do His will in Psalm 40. Not only that, he knew that doing the Lord's will is a delight, and not a burden.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced ;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require. (NIV)

⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.” (NKJV)

The New International Version has verse 6 translated as "my ears you have pierced" -- precisely what it means to be a slave to someone. The piercing of ears means you are marked as your Master's slave. King David understood that the Lord did not want them to come to Him with sacrifices and offering, but with a heart that knew Him to be a God of love.

Again, as what 1 John 5:3 had said, when we know that God is love, our ears have been pierced so that we can hear and obey Him. And because He first loved us, doing what He says will be a delight.