10/26/2014
First, I would like to thank everyone who has and is supporting me. I am over $5,000 for my trip. My next deadline will be on December 18th, where I will need to have $7,500 raised by then. It is my goal, however, to be fully funded before leaving!
Well, it has been 22 days since I last blogged and I apologize! I am supposed to blog roughly weekly, but it has been a crazy busy couple of weeks, and I have had writer’s block. 
An image that keeps coming up is one that happened at my sister’s wedding. In their ceremony, the bride a groom wove together three cords, and then put it over both of their hands. This is called hand binding or hand fasting, and it is done in many different cultures and religions—probably because it is such a strong and poignant symbol of unity. I once taught my small group a lesson with this example, and with the wedding and recently selling Threads of Hope bracelets, it has been on my mind.
In my Saipan small group, I was teaching on the meaning of being a “bond slave” for Christ. Though there are several references to slavery and servitude in the Bible, original translations distinguish certain passages about being a “bond slave” and one of those words is “doúlos.”
“Doúlos (a masculine noun of uncertain derivation) – properly, someone who belongs to another; a bond-slave, without any ownership rights of their own. Doúlos (“bond-slave”) is used with the highest dignity in the New Testament – namely, of believers who willingly live under Christ’s authority as His devoted followers.”
“Bond Slave: devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.”
In essence, a bond slave voluntarily binds themselves to someone, because the other person did something for them, something so massive that they want to serve them whole heartedly. They are bound to them out of duty, honor, and/or love. There are examples of this in literature and film. One example is Jacopo from The Count of Monte Cristo becoming Edmond Dantes’ man servant after Dantes saved his life. Another example is Azeem from the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, when he pledged to serve Robin Hood until his repays his debt to him. Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings echoed the essence of being a bond slave when she reminded the future king of why his men followed him into battle: “You do not command them to stay. The fight because they WOULD NOT be parted from you! They fight because they love you!”
Many times we as Christians feel bogged down by serving God. We feel like it’s a burdensome task to follow Him, as though we really were His slaves. In the parable of the Prodigal son, when the father hosts a party for his youngest son, the oldest complains to him:
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
The older brother felt that He was “slaving” for his father and was receiving nothing in return. But the Father has a different perspective of their relationship. He said “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” That doesn’t sound like a slave owner or task master, but someone who considers him a son and heir in his fortune! But we can all feel like the older brother when we forget why we serve Jesus.
A bond slave is different from a slave because they want to give, they ache to please, and it is their pure joy to serve the person who either paid their debt or saved their life! Jesus did both for us! Plus, He is that “I Am,” the beginning and end, creator of the universe, and the one and only God.
These are some Bible verses that use the word “Bond slave” or “doúlos.”
1 Corinthians 7:23 You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.[a]
Romans 1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Galatians 1:10 You can see that I am not trying to please you by sweet talk and flattery; no, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please men I could not be Christ’s servant.
Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants[a] of Christ Jesus,
James 1:1 James, a servant[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
2 Peter 1 From: Simon Peter, a servant and missionary of Jesus Christ.
Luke 1:38 Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.” And then the angel disappeared.
Luke 1:48 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.…
You serve Jesus with your life but it is because you want to, not because you have to. We are his bond-slave, sons and daughters, and He calls us His bride!
Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
The bride and groom devote themselves to one another, and the hand binding is a symbol of that commitment: being bound to someone, not as prisoners but of their own free will! It is beautiful, intimate, and an honor to be bound to Jesus, to serve Him because of who He is, what He has done, and how He loves us!
I like to be reminded of that, and that’s why I usually have a bracelet on. And now I have a few more because of Threads of Hope!
Thank you again, everyone for supporting in me in prayer and funding!
God Bless!
Tori Thompson
PS I have a another dinner planned for November 11, from 6-8pm
Culver’s of Clarkston, 6910 Sashabaw Rd, Clarkston, MI 48348! Please come and eat!
