Photo Credit: Corpuzzle | Flickr (Creative Commons)
If I said you were a sell out you would probably be insulted. No one wants to be called a sell out but in the right context that could be the highest compliment. Usually when we talk about someone selling out, it’s a negative thing. It means they have given up their convictions and principles for some temporary reward or compensation. People have been known to sell out for salaries and positions of power. Some people have even sold themselves out for an orgasm or a gourmet meal. As the saying goes “Everyone has a price.” That’s one way of looking at selling out but there is another way to look at it from a Christian perspective. In a sense we all have been bought by someone or something. There is something or someone in our lives we are ultimately committed to because of what they give us in exchange for our time, money, attention, energy, and ultimately our lives. It’s not a question of whether or not we are sold out. It’s a question of for how much can we be bought.
For those who are Christians, being sold out is a positive thing. When Christians say they are sold out, it means that you are so committed to God that he can have your whole being. Everything you have is now at his disposal. This is the kind of person who can’t be bought with anything. Her mind is occupied with thoughts of God. There is nothing that can sway her from the mission and purpose of God in her life. Many times this fluctuates for those of us who follow Christ, but deep down God is our greatest motivation.
See, the follower of Christ becomes sold out when they realize the price that was paid for them—Jesus’ very life. It’s not that they can’t be bought. It’s that they are sold to the highest bidder. Jesus went through agonizing suffering so they could become his. He was whipped and beaten. He was insulted by Roman soldiers. His reputation was thrown in the mud. Jesus endured nails hammered into his hands and feet. His body was hung on the cross until he couldn’t breathe anymore. He did that for us. That makes him the only person worth being sold out for.
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