The Blues

 

The Blues

^{Luke 14:26 “}If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

^{Romans 6:18 “}And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness ^[f]for holiness.” NKJV

^{James 4:4 “}Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

     God calls for a realignment of our allegiance when we are reborn.  Once a slave of our fleshly desires encouraged by this world set on fire by the devil, we must choose Him over them. We must choose to leave behind the old responses and walk abreast in the New.  Forsaking that which only holds us back, we must choose to pursue holiness while still existing in this caustic world.

     Sound easy?  We must hate all things not in subjection to Him.  If family turns away, we must obey Him first.  If friends only suck us down, we must leave them.  If anyone threatens our great love for our God, we must surrender that relationship to His control.  We then become His slaves.

     The blues were sung out of oppression.  I understand Afro-Americans were first to bring this genre up from their African roots.  This makes sense because they can define slavery, treated as animals only valued for the work they could produce.  But we suffer differently.

     We have a benevolent slave Master.  He commands us for our good.  We can trust Him because He fully loves us.  He has shown this by surrendering His Son that we may prosper in Him.  That we may have abundant life.  But what quality of life does this look like?

    ^{Hebrews 11:37 “}They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;”

     Surely those that have come before us have paid the ultimate price for loving God.  They put Him first before all and suffered the consequences, being misfits in this world.  Sound like slavery?  Surely.

     Didn’t Jeus say, “¹⁴ Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you?”

     That’s heavy.  The blues here is summarized in this.  We voluntarily put off former wanton desires to conform to Christ’s character in all things.

     ^{Hebrews 12:6 “}For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

     If you decide to come to Christ, expect correction as you live under the Slave Master.  He brings us to righteous living because He cares deeply for us.  The abundant life He promises is the freeing from past slavery into right relationships with Him and fellow man.  And this is cause for joy knowing He is always with us propelling us forward.  Happiness?  Well, that is icing on the cake.  It comes and goes.  But joy is steadfast.  It is the thing driving our song of blues.  Fellowship with God means He is first before all.  It hurts sometimes.  Our cries are shouted up to Heaven as we confess we don’t belong here but search for our real home.  The blues is the only answer.  Our call, His response until all are made totally free.