The door opens seemingly by itself, could it be a ghost? No, Bilbo Baggins reappears after sliding The Ring off of his finger. He has just shocked all of the Hobbits in the Shire as he vanished from sight at his birthday party. Now, placing the ring in his pocket for safe keeping he goes to his sitting room to collect his things. But Gandalf is waiting for him with questions. Finally Gandalf confronts Bilbo about the ring and, for his own sake, to give up the ring. Bilbo reacts with aggression, not a part of his normal temperament. Then he seemingly talks to himself as he strokes the golden ring in his hand; “my precious”…he whispers to it. Gandalf seems to grow taller as the room darkens as his voice booms in the small hobbit home, “Bilbo Baggins, do not take me for some conjuror of cheap tricks…I am not trying to rob you, I am trying to help you!”
The scene is epic within the story spun by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings”. Gandalf is having an intervention of sorts for Bilbo. The Ring, can and will impose its will on those who possess it…they may at first believe they control it but soon enough it will control them. Bilbo Baggins’ mood change is evidence of this as Gandalf tries to reason with him. He bares his teeth and snarls like an animal…he is possessed by what he possesses within his hand. Bilbo needs help, he needs someone stronger than himself to find the strength to relinquish that which he is now a slave to.
Isn’t that a great picture of what sin does to us? We begin by dabbling, believing we are in control. But we quickly realize that we don’t possess sin, sin possesses us. We hold it in our hands, in our lives and we lack the strength to relinquish control because we are slaves to it. “Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36 NIV) We need a source of freedom. We need a spiritual intervention, one who has resisted life’s temptations and has paid the price of our redemption: Christ himself! Jesus, the Son of God, comes to us and says give it to me! Give me your burdens, your sins, your enslavement. Without His help we snarl and wail like animals lost within their own entanglements.
“I have come that you might have LIFE, and have it abundantly!” -Jesus (John 10:10)
What are you holding onto that you have yet to relinquish to the Lord? Don’t be a slave to what you possess any longer! Do not let the trappings of sin keep you from experiencing freedom and abundant life! When we allow the Lord to take from us our sin and shame, we WILL be free! So let go of it! Don’t allow it to poison your life any longer! You have One who cares and loves you and He wants to give you His strength and support. Let Him help…the shackles of sin can be released immediately with His strength on your side!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOdhYU1s9cc]
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