ast post we talking about how we need to turn our focus to God giving less attention to the things that distract us.
If you missed the previous posts you can get them here:

Sold Out Part 1

Sold Out Part 2

We now continue where we left off:

How is it possible for us as followers of Christ to set ourselves above Him? Twelve times the word of God tells us that we are to be bondservants of Christ. You may say that some of those times are just a reference to one of the apostels as a bondservant; and yes some of the twelve references are acknowledgment of their servanthood. But we are to be imitators of them as they were imitators of Christ.

A bond servant is one who gives up all personal rights and becomes a slave to his master by choice.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.  (2 Cor. 4:5)

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.  (Galatians 1:10)

6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,  (Ephesians 6:6)

7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)

16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

When we can live for Him in the unseen, not using grace as a get out of jail card, we then can flow in the freedom that Christ has given us, being totally sold out to Him.
Lets not let what others think hold us back. Keeping us from living fully for God.

We are bondservants to Christ, doing as he asks, when He asks. In this, not being lukewarm; instead being pleasing to He who saved us. The performance based accusation is no longer valid, because when we live the same as when we are seen and unseen, it is not about what others see, but what God sees in us; pleasing Him being our most important task.
I can’t help but think about Paul and Silas as they were singing and praying while chained up in prison.

22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”  (Acts 16:22-28)

They had been falsely accused, beaten, and shackled in the inner chambers of the prison. They could have allowed the situation to corrupt their attitudes.I can hear it now,

“Oh Silas, I am so depressed, why did God allow this to happen to us?”

“I don’t know Paul, do you think He still has favor for us? Did we do something wrong?”

Sounds like so many of us today,  doesn’t it?

But these men instead allowed the overflow that they had, from being intentional in their walk with God, to overflow.
Living in that surplus, meaning ‘in an excess of production or supply over demand’. This transforming, what seemed a drab situation, into a glorious one. Instead of being shackled in a jail, they were shackled to the Holy One they loved. Instead of being in the inner room of a prison, they were in a secret place with the most high. Instead of being captives of the leaders of the city, they were captivated by His presence. Allowing what seemed to be a dark situation to be transformed into a life changing one.

When they began to praise God in the situation, not allowing the situation to dictate their attitude, they opened the doors of heaven to rain down on them, giving God the chance to show up and show out.
This is the end of the Sold Out series posts, if this or any of the posts have touched you then please contact me and let me know, God Bless!