The Chain

[dddoo7]

The story is told of a king who once called one of his subjects in to see him. The subject called was a blacksmith by occupation and the king asked the blacksmith to forge a chain. The blacksmith worked tirelessly through the night and into the next day forging one of the best chains he had ever forged. When he was done, he brought it into the king and immediately the king told him to go back and make it twice as long. Link by link the blacksmith worked all that day finally reaching twice the distance. The blacksmith then proudly brought the chain to the king who took one look and told the blacksmith once again to make it twice as long. The blacksmith worked for the next two days forging link after link, but knowing that the king surely had a great purpose for this chain. When the chain was finished he once again took it to the king. The king approved of the chain and was impressed by the quality. The king then commanded his servants to bind the blacksmith hand and foot with the chain he had made and throw him in prison.

This is often what the devil tries to do to us as Christians. He will work to get us to build our own chain and link by link will tie us down with our own sin and consequences. Ultimately if we let him, Satan will bind us with our own chain of sin for all eternity.

When we sin, we are building our own chain. Some are building their chain with alcohol, some by gambling, some by gossip, others through lust, and many through the lies that they tell and choose to believe. When we tolerate sin in our lives we are building our chain piece by piece, link by link. It is the chain that will one day bind us for eternity unless we are set free of those sins. 2 Peter 2:3 says, “For if God did not spare messengers when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment”. Even the messengers of God are bound by their sins unless they are forgiven by God.

Yet our wonderful and loving God has provided the way of escape from the chains that we have chosen to build. God has offered forgiveness of our sins through the death of His son. When we turn to God and obey Him, God forgives us, frees us from the sins that once bound us. Romans 6:17-18 says, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” If we choose to stay in our sins, refuse to recognize our sins, and spend our lives serving those sins, we will be lost for eternity. Yet if we choose to leave those sins and obey Christ, we will have the forgiveness.

2 Peter 2:9 says, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished.”

Don’t build the chain that will bind you for eternity. Through Christ, be free of the sins that hold you down and choose to serve Christ instead of sin.

[orkan]

Excellent post.